Indomethacin and Flurbiprofen Speed Recovery of Rat Bronchial Epithelium after Exposure to Cigarette Smoke

Abstract

The cigarette smoke-induced rat model of chronic bronchitis was used to study the time course of the return of cigarette smoke-induced secretory cell hyperplasia to the normal and the capacity of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to speed this recovery. Cigarette smoke alone significantly increased (P < 0.05) the number of secretory cells in all of the eight airway levels studied to between 52–225% above control values. After cessation of exposure, recovery was complete by 9 days in the trachea, between 10–21 days in ‘proximal’ intrapulmonary airways and 43–84 days in distal bronchioli. Indomethacin and flurbiprofen, given by intraperitoneal injection at 4 mg/kg body weight for 21 days of the recovery period, significantly reduced the time taken for recovery to between 4 and 9 days in intrapulmonary airways but had no effect in the trachea.