Does cold air damage the lungs of winter athletes?

Shephard, Roy J.

doi:10.1007/s11932-996-0001-8

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…However, this remodeling was observed to be rapidly reversible in hibernators, which is probably not the case in humans. Exposure to cold air seems to trigger the development of asthma and is an established factor for persistent remodeling in lungs as noticed in countries with a cold climate and in athletes in cold weather (Sarin et al, 2006;Shephard, 2004). Some of the respiratory problems in asthma involve the drying of the mucosa lining of the respiratory system, which is also brought about by prolonged inhalation of cold air, leading to or worsening lung remodeling (Barnes, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reversible remodeling of lung tissue during hibernation in the Syrian hamster

Talaei

Hylkema

Bouma

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYDuring hibernation, small rodents such as hamsters cycle through phases of strongly suppressed metabolism with low body temperature (torpor) and full restoration of metabolism and body temperature (arousal). Remarkably, the repetitive stress of cooling-rewarming and hypoxia does not cause irreversible organ damage. To identify adaptive mechanisms protecting the lungs, we assessed histological changes as well as the expression and localization of proteins involved in tissue remodeling in lungs from Syrian hamsters at different phases of hibernation using immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis. In torpor (early and late) phase, a reversible increased expression of smooth muscle actin, collagen, angiotensin converting enzyme and transforming growth factor- was found, whereas expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor and caveolin-1 was low. Importantly, all these alterations were restored during arousal. This study demonstrates substantial alterations in protein expression mainly in epithelial cells of lungs from hibernating Syrian hamsters. These structural changes of the bronchial airway structure are termed airway remodeling and often occur in obstructive lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung fibrosis. Unraveling the molecular mechanism leading to reversal of airway remodeling by the end of torpor may identify possible therapeutic targets to reduce progression of this process in patients suffering from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung fibrosis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%