The relationship of host factors to the pathogenesis of chronic bronchitis and obstructive airway disease: lymphoblast aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase.

Abstract

We have studied the inducibility of lymphoblast aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in 52 subjects with chronic bronchitis, 18 subjects with obstructive airway disease, and 26 subjects without pulmonary disease. Blood lymphocytes were cultured with mitogens in the presence or absence of an inducing agent, 3-methylcholanthrene. The aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) inducibility was determined from the ratio of AHH activities, determined spectrophotofluorometrically, in induced/basal cultures. Mean AHH inducibilities of the control subjects (2.28 ± 0.53) exceeded those of subjects with either chronic bronchitis (2.02 ± 0.44, P < 0.05 by t test) or obstructive airway disease (2.15 ± 0.42). No relation of AHH activity or inducibility to 1-sec forced expiratory volume, expressed as a percentage of age-height-sex-specific predicted value, was found on linear regression analysis of data from all 96 subjects. Inducibility was not related to sex or yield of lymphoblasts after culture. Increased inducibilities were obtai...