The evaluation of respiratory tract toxicity from airborne materials frequently involves exposure of animals via inhalation. This provides a natural route of entry into the host and, as such, is the preferred method for the introduction of toxicants into the lungs. However, for various reasons, this technique cannot always be used, and the direct instillation of a test material into the lungs via the trachea has been employed in many studies as an alternative exposure procedure. Intratracheal instillation has become sufficiently widely used that the Inhalation Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology elected to develop this document to summarize some key issues concerning the use of this exposure procedure. Although there are distinct differences in the distribution, clearance, and retention of materials when administered by instillation compared to inhalation, the former can be a useful and cost-effective procedure for addressing specific questions regarding the respiratory toxicity of chemicals, as long as certain caveats are clearly understood and certain guidelines are carefully followed.

Macrophage inflammatory proteins 1 alpha and beta (MIP-1 alpha and beta) and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) are approximately 6-8 kd, heparin binding proteins that exhibit a number of inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities. The MIP proteins are members of a superfamily of cytokines called chemokines, many of which have been shown to possess chemotactic activity for inflammatory and immune effector cells. While MIPs were originally identified as secretory products of endotoxin-stimulated mouse macrophages, these chemokines are produced by a variety of cell types including neutrophils, fibroblasts, and epithelial cells. In addition, proteins with a high degree of structural and functional homology to murine MIP-1 alpha and beta and MIP-2 have been identified in other species including humans. MIP-1 alpha and beta are chemotactic for monocytes and lymphocytes and MIP-2 is a potent chemotactic factor for neutrophils. MIPs likely also play a role in regulating hematopoiesis and stimulating production of other inflammatory mediators such as IL-1, TNF alpha, and histamine. Studies using animal models of lung injury and inflammation have implicated MIPs as important mediators of lung defense. Increased MIP expression has been observed in models of bacterial sepsis, silicosis, and oxidant-induced lung injury. Studies in humans indicate MIP-1 alpha contributes to the inflammatory cell response associated with sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Given the bioactivities of MIP-1 alpha and beta and MIP-2 and the recent studies demonstrating their association with lung inflammation, it is likely these chemokines play a significant role in respiratory tract defenses and may contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung disease.

Exposure to high concentrations of carbon black (Cb) produces lung tumors in rats, but not mice or hamsters, presumably due to secondary genotoxic mechanisms involving persistent lung inflammation and injury. We hypothesized that the lung inflammation and injury induced by subchronic inhalation of Cb are more pronounced in rats than in mice and hamsters. Particle retention kinetics, inflammation, and histopathology were examined in female rats, mice, and hamsters exposed for 13 weeks to high surface area Cb (HSCb) at doses chosen to span a no observable adverse effects level (NOAEL) to particle overload (0, 1, 7, 50 mg/m(3), nominal concentrations). Rats were also exposed to low surface area Cb (50 mg/m(3), nominal; LSCb). Retention and effects measurements were performed immediately after exposure and 3 and 11 months post-exposure; retention was also evaluated after 5 weeks of exposure. Significant decreases in body weight during exposure occurred only in hamsters exposed to high-dose HSCb. Lung weights were increased in high-dose Cb-exposed animals, but this persisted only in rats and mice up to the end of the study period. Equivalent or similar mass burdens were achieved in rats exposed to high-dose HSCb and LSCb, whereas surface area burdens were equivalent for mid-dose HSCb and LSCb. Prolonged retention was found in rats exposed to mid- and high-dose HSCb and to LSCb, but LSCb was cleared faster than HSCb. Retention was also prolonged in mice exposed to mid- and high-dose HSCb, and in hamsters exposed to high-dose HSCb. Lung inflammation and histopathology were more severe and prolonged in rats than in mice and hamsters, and both were similar in rats exposed to mid-dose HSCb and LSCb. The results show that hamsters have the most efficient clearance mechanisms and least severe responses of the three species. The results from rats also show that particle surface area is an important determinant of target tissue dose and, therefore, effects. From these results, a subchronic NOAEL of 1 mg/m(3) respirable HSCb (Printex 90) can be assigned to female rats, mice, and hamsters.

High levels of ambient air pollution are associated with exacerbation of asthma and respiratory morbidity, yet little is known concerning the mechanisms of inflammation and toxicity by components of inhaled particulate matter (PM). Brief inhalation of PM(2.5) (particles of an aerodynamic diameter of < 2.5 microns) (300 microg/m(3) air for 6 h followed by a period of 24 h in clean air) by either C3H/HeJ or C57/BL6 mice caused significant (P