Hypertrophy of Alveolar Wall Cells Secondary to an Air Pollutant

Abstract

When guinea pigs were exposed to 2 ppm nitrogen dioxide continously for 7, 14, and 21 days, a significant increase was found in the average area per alveolar wall cell (P < .025). The duration of the experiment was also significant (P < .05). The method as used, based on an image analyzer quantitation of 9,824 lactate dehydrogenase- positive alveolar wall cells, can contribute to the basic understanding of the type 2 pneumocyte and potentially to the establishment of air quality standards.