Carbon dioxide inhalation causes pulmonary inflammation (original) (raw)

2009, AJP: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology

The aim of this study was to assess if one of the most common poisons of cellular respiration, i.e., carbon dioxide, is pro-inflammatory. CO2 is naturally present in the atmosphere at the level of 0.038% and involved in numerous cellular biochemical reactions. We analyzed in vitro the inflammation response induced by exposure to CO 2 for 48 hours (0 to 20%, with a constant O 2 concentration of 21%). In vivo, mice were submitted to increasing concentrations of CO 2 (0, 5, 10, 15% with a constant O 2 concentration of 21%) for one hour. The exposure to concentrations above 5% of CO 2 resulted in the increased transcription (Rnase protection assay) and secretion (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1α and β, MIP-2, Interleukin-8, Monocyte