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Abstract
The morphological heterogeneity of the lung and the poor extent of knowledge concerning alveolar repair following toxic insult have made morphology, and especially morphometry, a most suitable approach for the study of the injured lung. In this study we aimed to further develop a rapid and quantitative morphological approach to evaluate the sequence of lesion‐repair in the aggressed alveolus. Swiss‐Webster mice were treated with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, 400 mg/kg ip) and the lung was sampled at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 d after treatment. A morphometric evaluation, carried out on histological sections, was used to quantify the inflammatory and epithelial regenerative components of the alveolar primary reaction. Classical morphometric parameters such as the A a and N a ratios, and the mean cellular surface were determined by planimetry.
Following BHT administration, the alveolar stem cells (type II pneumocytes) proliferate and differentiate according to a biphasic pattern, with proliferative peaks at d 3 and 7. Furthermore, the challenged pulmonary alveolus retains increased numerical and surface density of macrophages and type II pneumocytes as late as d 14 after initial aggression.
