Figure 1

Experimental protocol and effect of smoke exposure on the recruitment of inflammatory cells into BAL fluid or lung tissues of OVA-induced asthmatic mice. BALB/c mice were sensitized with 10 μg OVA adsorbed in alum (250 μg) and nebulized with 2% OVA using nebulizer and exposed to smoke for 30 days (days 20 days 49) as described in "Materials and Methods" (A). PBS/NS, mice sensitized and nebulized by PBS without smoke exposure; OVA/NS, mice sensitized and nebulized by OVA without smoke exposure; PBS/S, mice sensitized and nebulized by PBS with smoke exposure; OVA/S, mice sensitized and nebulized by OVA with smoke exposure. General sensitization and local challenge were performed 10 min after final smoke exposure. BAL fluid collection was performed as described in "Materials and Methods". After Diff-Quik staining, differential cell counts were obtained by counting over 300 cells (B). Numbers of mast cells were determined in BAL cells collected by Cytospin or in lung tissues sectioned (3 μm) in 200 × 200 μm area under microscopy using May Grünwald-Giemsa staining (C). Data are shown as mean ± SEM for each group (n = 8). **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001 versus PBS/NS mice. ^†, P < 0.05; ^††, P < 0.01; ^†††, P < 0.001 versus OVA/NS mice. ^‡, P < 0.05; ^‡‡, P < 0.01; ^‡‡‡, P<0.001 versus PBS/S mice.