Cytologic and cytochemical effects on primary mouse kidney tissue and lung organ cultures after exposure to whole, fresh smoke and its gas phase from unfiltered, charcoal-filtered, and cigar tobacco cigarettes.

Abstract

Summary A model system using a smoking machine suitable for short- and long-term studies on the effects of whole cigarette smoke and its gas phase on tissue and organ cultures is described. Results obtained so far showed no significant differences between cell damaging activity of puffs from whole fresh smoke and from those of the gas phase. However, while puffs from unfiltered cigarettes evoked rapid destruction of mouse kidney tissue and lung organ cultures, such damage was absent after the smoke passed through a charcoal filter. On the other hand, cultures exposed to smoke from charcoal-filtered cigarettes disclosed a temporary increase in the mitotic index over that of control cultures. Puffs from cigarettes made up from cigar tobacco produced less and somewhat different damage from that observed after exposure of cultures to smoke from unfiltered cigarettes.