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This study examined the chemopreventive effect of Nigella sativa and some of its antioxidant constituents on a number of colon cancer biomarkers in rats induced with azoxymethane (AOM). Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into ten subgroups: vehicle (1–5) and experimental (6–10). The rats in each group were fed one of the following diets: basal diet, (200 mg/kg) Nigella sativa, (0.2 mg/kg) selenium, (1.2 mg/kg) all-trans-retinol plus (100 mg/kg) dl-α-tocopherol and (10 mg/kg) thymoquinone, respectively. Only rats in subgroups 6–10 were injected with AOM (15 mg/kg) once per week for 2 weeks. Both groups were fed their respective diets for 5 weeks. Then they were killed and examined for colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF). Our result showed that only vitamin supplementation was effective on ACF. Nigella sativa revealed inhibitory effects only on DNA damage (day 34) in the AOM-treated rat group. Alternatively, selenium, thymoquinone and vitamins inhibited the MDA content in the liver. Although the exact mechanisms involved in the protective role of Nigella sativa against the initiation of colon carcinogenesis are not clearly understood, the results suggest that its inhibitory effects might depend on the combined competitive inhibition of various antioxidant constituents of this plant. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Colorectal cancer represents 8.5% of all tumours at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre. Environmental and dietary carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) have long been suspected to play a prominent role in colon cancer aetiology. We designed a case-control study to test the hypothesis of whether or not the presence of DNA adducts can play a role in the aetiology of colon cancer. DNA adducts were measured in 24 cancerous and 20 non-cancerous tissue samples of newly diagnosed colon cancer patients by (32)P-post-labelling technique. Normal tissue from 19 hospital patients served as controls. The mean levels of adducts per 10(10) nucleotides in cancerous and non-cancerous tissue were 151.75+/-217.27 and 114.81+/-186.10, respectively; however, only adducts in cancerous tissue were significantly higher than controls (32.78+/-57.51 per 10(10) nucleotides) with p-values of 0.017. No BPDE-DNA adducts were found. No relationship was found between urinary cotinine as a marker of tobacco smoke and 1-hydroxypyrene as an indicator of an individual's internal dose of PAHs and DNA adducts. In a logistic regression model, only adducts in cancerous tissue were associated with the subsequent risk of colon cancer, with an odds ratio of 3.587 (95% confidence interval 0.833-15.448) after adjustment for age and the duration of living in the current region, but of a borderline significance (p=0.086). Although it is difficult to arrive at a definite conclusion from a small dataset, our preliminary results suggest the potential role of DNA adducts in the colon carcinogenesis process. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our preliminary finding. It is also important to identify the structural characterization of these unknown DNA adducts in order to have a better understanding of whether or not environmental carcinogens play a role in the aetiology of colon cancer.

Newly synthesized phthalazine derivatives including copper and platinum complexes were evaluated for cytotoxicity in human breast cancer cell lines. The cells were incubated with the compounds (100 microM) for 72 h and cytotoxicity, apoptosis and DNA content were measured by flow cytometery. Our results suggest that the parent (H1-2), copper (C1-2)- and platinum (P1-2)-derivatized compounds were relatively more active in inducing apoptosis and cell killing in both human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 cells being the more sensitive. Other compounds showed weak or no response towards these parameters except H-5 causing 40% apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Addition of copper or platinum in the structures generally reduced the apoptotic potential. Possible roles for structure activity relationships are discussed.

This study was conducted to examine the sensitivity of primary skin fibroblasts from Saudi thyroid cancer (TC) patients to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Cell survival was studied by a colony forming assay and DNA repair defects with a host cell reactivation (HCR) assay using UV-irradiated Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). In addition, p53 gene expression was examined in the same TC cells exhibiting enhanced radiosensitivity. Skin fibroblasts from TC patients (n=4) showed significantly enhanced sensitivity to UV radiation. The average UV dose to reduce survival to 37% of the initial survival (D(37)) value (in Jm(-2)) for fibroblasts from TC patients was 4.6 (3.7-5.6) compared to 7.3 (6.3-8.3) for healthy individuals (n=3). UV-sensitive xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cells, which were used as positive control, were found to be extremely sensitive with a D(37) value of 0.6 Jm(-2). In a host cell reactivation assay, UV-irradiated HSV was tested for its plaque-forming ability (PFA), by plating infected fibroblasts from TC patients (used as host cells) on African Green Monkey (Vero) kidney cells to form plaques. A significant reduction in the PFA of the UV-irradiated virus (about three fold) on TC cells compared to fibroblasts from the healthy subjects was seen, suggesting a DNA-repair deficiency in the primary fibroblasts of the TC patients. Furthermore, no significant accumulation in radiation-induced p53 expression was observed in cells from the TC patients. Our results, based on a relatively small group of subjects, indicate that Saudi TC patients primary fibroblasts (non-cancerous in nature) may be carriers of cancer-susceptible gene(s) arising from defective DNA repair/processing. These results warrant a larger study to investigate the role of UV-induced bulky DNA damage in thyroid cancer susceptibility.

The pro-mutagenic oxidative DNA lesion, 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) has been a subject of numerous studies. However, the absolute 8-oxodG levels in tissue DNA reported by various methods have been debated due to its artifactual production during DNA isolation and/or the DNA processing. We have investigated factors that may result in such artifacts during isolation and analysis of DNA as well as means for its prevention. 8-OxodG content was measured by a recently described TLC enrichment-mediated 32P-postlabeling. Liver DNA from 3 month-old, female Sprague-Dawley rats was isolated by a standard solvent-extraction procedure (phenol, phenol:Sevag, and Sevag; 23 degrees C), a modified solvent-extraction procedure (phenol:Sevag, and Sevag; 4 degrees C; KCl-SDS-protein precipitation) or sodium iodide extraction procedure. 8-OxodG was analyzed in the DNA by the 32P-postlabeling assay using a fluorescent light box during the workup, as well as in its absence. The 8-oxodG levels, when the fluorescent light box was used, were in similar range irrespective of the DNA isolation procedure (16.4+/-1.6 to 28.7+/-6 8-oxodG/10(6) nucleotides). However, the values were significantly lower (3.1+/-0.4 to 3.4+/-0.2 8-oxodG/10(6) nucleotides) in the absence of fluorescence light box, room fluorescent light (suspended through the ceiling) and natural room light did not alter the 8-oxodG levels. Further, the addition of 0.3 mM of PBN (N-t-butyl-alpha-phenyl nitrone) or TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl), or 6.8 mM 8-hydroxy-quinoline during the DNA isolation resulted in still lower values (0.8+/-0.1 to 1.8+/-0.5 8-oxodG/10(6) nucleotides) although this reduction was not consistently observed in different experiments. These results suggest that fluorescent light is the major 'culprit' in artifactual production and variability reported in the 8-oxodG levels.

There are literally thousands of known agents with potential chemopreventive and antioxidant activity; however, the expanding list of natural and synthetic compounds makes it difficult to test every agent in the widely accepted 2-year animal bioassay and human clinical trials. Therefore, short-term screening assays are needed to sort out the most efficacious compounds for long-term animal studies. In the present study, the identification of chemopreventive agents with efficacious antioxidant potential was explored with a Cu2+-mediated Fenton-type reaction, coupled with oxidative DNA lesion detection by 32P-postlabeling. Several agents inhibited the formation of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), a benchmark oxidative DNA lesion, but ellagic acid, a polyphenol found in berries, offered maximal (>80%) inhibition of 8-oxodG formation. However, a well-known tea polyphenol, epigallocatechin gallate, along with silymarin and D,L-sulforaphane, exhibited a pro-oxidant effect, with 50-70% increase in 8-oxodG induction. In general, our results agree with the reported antioxidant - pro-oxidant activities of the compounds, rendering this in vitro screening assay to be useful in determining the antioxidant potential of compounds rapidly and cost-effectively.

There are literally thousands of known agents with potential chemopreventive and antioxidant activity; however, the expanding list of natural and synthetic compounds makes it difficult to test every agent in the widely accepted 2-year animal bioassay and human clinical trials. Therefore, short-term screening assays are needed to sort out the most efficacious compounds for long-term animal studies. In the present study, the identification of chemopreventive agents with efficacious antioxidant potential was explored with a Cu2+-mediated Fenton-type reaction, coupled with oxidative DNA lesion detection by 32P-postlabeling. Several agents inhibited the formation of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), a benchmark oxidative DNA lesion, but ellagic acid, a polyphenol found in berries, offered maximal (80%) inhibition of 8-oxodG formation. However, a well-known tea polyphenol, epigallocatechin gallate, along with silymarin and D,L-sulforaphane, exhibited a pro-oxidant effect, with 50-70% increase in 8-oxodG induction. In general, our results agree with the reported antioxidant - pro-oxidant activities of the compounds, rendering this in vitro screening assay to be useful in determining the antioxidant potential of compounds rapidly and cost-effectively.

Cigarette smoke contains several oxidants and free radicals. In the present study, we examined the formation of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in the lungs of female Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to side-stream cigarette smoke for 6 h a day, 7 days a week for 1, 2, 4 and 12 weeks in a whole body-exposure system. The samples were analyzed for 8-oxodG by 32P-postlabeling-TLC enrichment and HPLC-ECD techniques to confirm and compare results. Animals were sacrificed 15 h after the cessation of smoke exposure and lung DNA was isolated by phenol/Sevag extractions in the presence of the free radical traps, 8-hydroxyquinoline (6.8 mM) and N-t-butyl-alpha-phenyl nitrone (500 microM) to minimize artifactual formation of 8-oxodG during sample work up. Analysis of lung DNA by 32P-postlabeling-TLC showed 8-oxodG levels (mean +/- SE) of 1.45+/-0.24, 2.68+/-0.65, 2.23+/-0.28 and 2.93+/-0.54 per 106 nucleotides after 1, 2, 4 and 12 weeks of smoke exposure. The respective values in sham-treated rats were 2.76+/-0.19, 3.69+/-0.20, 1.44+/-0.43 and 2.84+/-0.45 per 106 nucleotides, suggesting no significant effect of smoke exposure on tissue levels of 8-oxodG. HPLC-ECD procedure yielded slightly higher values for 8-oxodG in all groups, however, again significant differences between sham and smoke-exposed groups were not detected. It is concluded that the chronic exposure to side-stream cigarette smoke does not enhance the formation of 8-oxodG in rat lungs.

A significant depletion in the content of glutathione (GSH) and alteration in GSH redox system enzymes were observed in the lung of chrysotile-exposed animals (5 mg) during different developmental stages of asbestosis. In the alveolar macrophages (AM) of exposed animals, the depletion in GSH started from day 1 and reached a maximum at day 16, whereas in lung tissue the maximum depletion was observed when fibrosis has matured. It appears that cellular GSH depletion triggers oxidative stress in the system as observed from increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) production and alteration in the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), the enzymes regulating oxidative tone. The depletion in GSH was also observed in red blood cells (RBC) of the exposed animals reaching a maximum when fibrosis matured. Thus the observed depletion in GSH, ascorbic acid and alteration in GSH redox system enzymes may be involved in fibrosis and carcinogenesis induced by chrysotile.

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP), an environmentally significant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is one of the most potent carcinogens with greater carcinogenicity in rodent mammary glands and skin than 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene or benzo[a]pyrene, respectively. In this study, we have examined the formation and persistence of stable DNA adducts in rats administered a carcinogenic intramammillary (i.m.) dose of DBP (0.25 micromol/gland). 32P-post-labeling analysis of mammary epithelial DNA 6 h, and 2, 5 and 14 days post-treatment produced one major (approximately 30%) and at least six minor adducts. Non-target tissue DNA (lung, heart, bladder and pancreas) also showed essentially the same adduct pattern as did mammary DNA, except liver which resulted in four additional adduct spots. The mammary DNA was most adducted (2640 +/- 532 adducts/10(9) nucleotides) on day 5 while the other tissue DNAs had 10- to 65-fold lower adduct levels (lung > liver > heart > bladder > pancreas). Adduct levels continued to increase at all time points examined for all tissues, except mammary tissue which showed a decline ( approximately 40%) on day 14. Chromatographic comparison with adducts formed in vitro by reaction of syn- and anti-DBP-11, 12-diol-13,14-epoxides (DBPDEs) with DNA and individual nucleotides indicated that the in vivo adducts were deoxyadenosine- and deoxyguanosine-derived, formed by interaction with both the anti- and syn-isomers; the adenine-derived adducts comprised 60-75% of the total adducts. However, the liver-specific DNA adducts (nos 8-11) were not derived from any of the DBPDE isomers. Our data show: (i) significantly higher DBP-DNA adduction in mammary tissue as compared with non-target tissues, which is consistent with its mammary carcinogenicity; (ii) adenine is highly reactive towards DBP metabolites as has been observed for many other PAHs; and (iii) the peak binding of DBP with DNA was shifted beyond 14 days for the non-target tissues by i.m. route of exposure.

The present study investigated the effects of dietary oltipraz on cigarette smoke-related lipophilic DNA adduct formation. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed daily to sidestream cigarette smoke in a whole-body exposure chamber 6 h/day for 4 consecutive weeks. One group of rats was maintained on control diet while another group received the same diet supplemented with either a low (167 p.p.m.) or high (500 p.p.m.) dose of oltipraz, starting 1 week prior to initiation of smoke exposure until the end of the experiment. Analysis of lipophilic DNA adducts by the nuclease P1-mediated 32P-post-labeling showed up to five smoke-related adducts. Adduct no. 5 predominated in both the lung and the heart while adduct nos 3 and 2 predominated in the trachea and bladder, respectively. Quantitative analysis revealed that the total adduct level was the highest in lungs (270+/-68 adducts/10(10) nucleotides), followed by trachea (196+/-48 adducts/10(10) nucleotides), heart (141+/-22 adducts/10(10) nucleotides) and bladder (85+/-16 adducts/10(10) nucleotides). High dose oltipraz treatment reduced the adduct levels in lungs and bladder by60%, while the reduction in lungs in the low-dose group was approximately 35%. In trachea, the effect of low and high dietary oltipraz on smoke DNA adduction was equivocal, while smoke-related DNA adducts in the heart were minimally inhibited by high-dose oltipraz. In a repeat experiment that employed a 3-fold lower dose of cigarette smoke, oltipraz (500 p.p.m.) was found to inhibit the formation of DNA adducts in rat lungs and trachea by 80 and 65%, respectively. These data clearly demonstrate a high efficacy of oltipraz in inhibiting the formation of cigarette smoke-induced DNA adducts in the target tissues.

Cigarette smoking plays a major role in the etiology of several human cancers. It is believed that formation of DNA adducts is an initial step in the carcinogenic process. In this study, we have examined the ability of dietary N-acetylcysteine (NAG) to inhibit the formation of cigarette smoke-related DNA adducts in various tissues of rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to cigarette smoke (10 mg TPM/m(3)) in a whole-body exposure chamber for 6 h per day, seven days a week for four weeks. The smoke-exposed groups were provided either an unrefined diet or diets supplemented with low (5,000 ppm) or high (20,000 ppm) dose of NAG. A sham group was given control diet and maintained on filtered ambient air. Tissue DNA analysis of smoke-exposed rats by nuclease P1-version of the P-32-postlabeling assay showed up to 6 adducts in the following descending order expressed as total adducts/10(10) nucleotides: 1 predominant (no. 5) and 4 (no. 1-no. 4) minor adducts in the (219 +/- 36), 6 minor adducts in the heart (93 +/- 11), 5 adducts in the trachea (50 +/- 16), and 4 adducts in the bladder (50 +/- 3.5); sham-treated animals showed 2 or 3 adducts in each tissue but at 4-20-fold lower levels. Dietary intervention with either high or low dose of NAC did not affect the levels of most adducts, except for the following: a 30-40% increase (P

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP) is one of the most potent bacterial mutagen and mammary carcinogens. When DBP (50 microM) was incubated with calf thymus DNA (300 microg/ml) in the presence of liver microsomes from beta-naphthoflavone (beta-NF)- or Aroclor 1254-treated rats, at least eight adduct spots were detected as analyzed by nuclease P1-enhanced 32P-postlabeling assay. DNA adduction was enhanced by nearly 20- and 60-fold with beta-NF- and Aroclor 1254-induced microsomes, respectively, as compared with uninduced microsomes, suggesting a possible involvement of CYP1A family in DBP activation. Inclusion of the selective P4501A1 inhibitor, alpha-naphthoflavone (50 microM) in the activation reaction almost completely (>98%) abolished adduct formation further supporting involvement of P4501A in DBP activation. Analysis of DNA and 2'-deoxynucleosides 3'-mononucleotide reacted with anti- and syn-DBP-11,12-diol-13,14-epoxides (DBPDEs) and co-chromatography analyses in multiple solvents showed that the microsomal DBP-DNA adducts were derived by interaction of both anti- and syn-DBPDEs with adenine and guanine in DNA in the following order: anti-DBPDE-dA approximately syn-DBPDE-dG >> anti-DBPDE-dG approximately syn-DBPDE-dA. It is concluded that (i) most or all DBP adducts were P4501A-mediated; (ii) both the anti- and syn-stereoisomers were involved in the DNA adduct formation; and (iii) both adenine and guanine in the DNA contributed equally to the formation of the major and minor adducts.

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP) has recently emerged as a potent environmental carcinogen having greater carcinogenicity in the rat mammary epithelial glands than 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), previously considered to be the most potent mammary carcinogen and benzo[a]pyrene (BP), a ubiquitous environmental carcinogen. Previous studies on the tumor-initiating potential of DBP, DMBA, and BP demonstrated that DBP was 2.5 times more potent in inducing the tumors in mouse skin and rat mammary glands than DMBA; BP was a weak mammary carcinogen in these animals. The present study was designed to investigate if the significantly increased mammary carcinogenicity of DBP over DMBA and BP was related to increased DNA adduction at the target site. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated by intramammillary injection with an equimolar dose of 0.25 micromol/gland of DBP, DMBA, and BP at the 3rd, 4th and 5th mammary glands on both sides. 32P-Postlabeling analysis of mammary epithelial DNA of rats treated with DBP produced two major (nos. 3 and 6) and at least 5 minor adducts. DMBA treatment resulted in one major and 4 minor DNA adducts while BP produced one major and two minor adducts. Quantitation of the adduct radioactivity revealed that DNA adduction was 6- and 9-fold greater in DBP-treated animals than in BP- and DMBA-treated animals, respectively. The adduct levels per 10(9) nucleotides in mammary epithelial cells for DBP, BP and DMBA were in the following descending order: 1828 +/- 378, 300 +/- 45 and 207 +/- 72, respectively. Tissue distribution of DNA adducts in non-target organs following DBP treatment showed similar adduct pattern as found in the mammary epithelial cells except the liver, which resulted in 4 additional adduct spots; vehicle-treated tissue DNA processed in parallel did not show any detectable adducts. DMBA- and BP-DNA adduct patterns in various tissues were similar to that found in mammary epithelial cells, however, significant quantitative differences were found; BP-DNA adducts were undetectable in the pancreas and bladder. Quantitation of adduct radioactivity showed a 15- to 60-fold lower DBP-DNA adduction in these tissues than the levels found in the mammary tissue; similarly 5-20 and 30-100 times lower DNA adduction was found following treatment with DMBA and BP, respectively. The significantly increased binding of DBP to the mammary epithelial DNA over BP and DMBA is in concordance with its known higher mutagenicity and tumorigenicity.

In order to examine the pulmonary toxicity of kerosene oil and its combustion product (soot) in asbestos-exposed rats, various biochemical and chemical parameters were assayed. Treatment of rats with a single intratracheal dose of chrysotile asbestos (5 mg) and kerosene (50 microliters) or its soot (5 mg) in combination led to an increased number of pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM), elevated levels of hydrogen peroxide, and thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances, alterations in the activities of primary (glutathione peroxidase and catalase) and secondary (glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) endogenous antioxidant enzymes, and depletion in the levels of glutathione in PAM compared to the chrysotile, kerosene, or soot alone. These changes may indicate the generation of oxidative stress in the macrophages. The resulting oxidative stress may be subsequently critical in collapsing the cellular membrane, which may change the cell membrane permeability and may also damage the phagolysosomal membrane, thereby releasing the membrane bound enzymes as indicated by an increased leakage of intracellular acid phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase. The injury to macrophages may trigger events that lead to lung fibrosis and/or malignancies in the exposed animals. This study may be helpful in understanding the etiology of certain clinical and pathological disorders in the population exposed simultaneously to both asbestos and kerosene or its combustion products.

The glutathione and vitamin E dependent protection of lipid peroxidation in an NADPH (0.4 mM) and chrysotile (500 micrograms/ml) containing system were investigated in vitro in rat lung microsomes. Addition of 1 mM glutathione to the above reaction system containing microsomes supplemented with vitamin E (1 nmol/mg protein) reduced lipid peroxidation. Similar protection by glutathione could be observed in normal unsupplemented microsomes though the degree of protection was less pronounced. Addition of free radical scavengers such as, superoxide dismutase (100 units/ml), catalase (150 units/ml), mannitol (1 mM) and beta-carotene (0.5 mM) to the reaction system showed an insignificant effect on lipid peroxidation. When the reaction was carried out in absence of glutathione, vitamin E content of peroxidizing microsomes decreased rapidly. In this system a concomitant increase in the activity of microsomal glutathione-S-transferase was observed which may serve as an alternative pathway to detoxify lipid peroxides. Addition of glutathione alone to the reaction system prevented both against the loss in vitamin E content and increase in the activity of glutathione-S-transferase. Supplementation of both vitamin E and glutathione was found to be effective in lowering glutathione-S-transferase activity to that of normal basal level. Our results suggest that chrysotile-mediated stimulation of NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation may be due to hampering of glutathione-dependent protection which may ultimately exhaust membrane bound vitamin E. Our data further suggest that the lung tissue may have an inbuilt mechanism whereby glutathione-S-transferase may be triggered to cope with the excessive production of lipid peroxides.

We reported in earlier studies that the exposure of chrysotile to rat lungs depleted the levels of AA and GSH besides causing fibrosis and hyperplasia around the bronchioles. Based on these observations, we studied the protective role of AA (0.85 mM/day, orally) and GSH (75 μM/day, intraperitoncally) against the asbestos-induced oxidative stress. Rats were treated with AA, GSH, or AA + GSH daily after exposure to a single dose of chrysotile (5 mg, intratracheally) and were sacrificed after 1, 4, 8, and 16 days. Animals either treated with chrysotile or normal saline served as controls. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GSH-r), catalase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) were increased significantly in the lung cytosols of chrysotile treated animals, while the levels of GSH and AA were reduced. The levels of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation (LPO) significantly increased in the lung microsomes. Ascorbic acid and GSH alone and in combination did not significantly alter the asbestos-mediated increase in the activities of GSH-Px and GSH-r, but activities of catalase and G-6-PD, and levels of H2O2 and LPO in the lung significantly decreased. In the animals treated with AA or GSH alone or in combination, the levels of these antioxidants were increased. Ascorbic acid and GSH also ameliorated the asbestos-mediated diminution of the activities of phase I and phase II drug metabolizing enzymes. Our data indicate that AA and GSH, being part of a physiologically significant antioxidant system, can prevent some asbestos-induced biochemical events which subsequently may protect lungs against the development of pathological conditions.