Respiratory and Immunotoxicology

Faculty within the respiratory and immunotoxicology focus areas are investigating health impacts on the respiratory tract and alterations of the immune system in response to substances such as asbestos, silica, and dioxin. All airborne toxicants will impact the respiratory tract and affect sensitive immune cells in the lung. Consequently, this is an important target organ system for many environmental agents including particulate matter.

Faculty: Andrij Holian, Jean Cooper Pfau, Kevan Roberts, David Shepherd, Scott Wetzel

Research Highlights:

Kidney tissue from a mouse exposed to tremolite asbestos shows significant staining for mouse IgG in the glomerulus, suggestive of immune complex deposition. Image was taken on a Zeiss fluorescence microscope, using an Olympus camera and imaging system.

Commercially-prepared slides of Hep-2 cells (from ImmunoConcepts) stained with serum antibodies from asbestos-exposed subjects show a positive antinuclear antibody test. Image was taken on a Zeiss fluoresence microscope with 40x objective, using an Olympus camera and imaging system

Mouse fibroblasts expressing smooth muscle alpha-actin indicates that asbestos can activate wound healing in these cells. Cells are stained with propidium iodide (nuclei) and anti-smooth muscle actin antibodies with FITC-conjugated secondary antibody. Image was taken on a Zeiss fluorescence microscope, and fluoresence was quantified using a laser scanning cytometer.