OZONE EXPOSURE HAS BOTH A PRIMING EFFECT ON ALLERGEN-INDUCED RESPONSES AND AN INTRINSIC INFLAMMATORY ACTION IN THE NASAL AIRWAYS OF PERENNIALLY ALLERGIC ASTHMATICS

Ozone may play a significant role in the exacerbation of airway diseas e in asthmatics, either by priming the airway mucosa such that cellula r responses to allergen are enhanced or by exerting an intrinsic effec t on airway inflammation. Previous investigations of nonasthmatic subj ects revealed that ozone induces both nasal and bronchial inflammation , suggesting that nasal responses to ozone may be used as a surrogate marker for the effect of this pollutant on bronchial mucosal inflammat ion. In this study, the effect of exposure to 0.4 ppm ozone on nasal i nflammation in 11 allergic asthmatics sensitive to Dermatophygoides fa rinae was examined. This study was designed such that the effect of oz one exposure on the late-phase reaction to allergen was emphasized, us ing eosinophil influx and changes in eosinophil cationic protein as pr incipal endpoints. By employing a ''split-nose'' design, in which alle rgen was applied to only one side of the nose while saline was applied to the contralateral side, both the effect of ozone on nasal inflamma tion due to allergen challenge as well as its direct action on non-all ergen-challenged nasal tissues was examined. The results reported here in indicate that ozone exposure has both a priming effect on allergen- induced responses as well as an intrinsic inflammatory action in the n asal airways of perennially allergic asthmatics. Peden DB, Setter RW, Jr., Devlin RE. Ozone exposure has both a priming effect on allergen-i nduced responses and an intrinsic inflammatory action in the nasal air ways of perennially allergic asthmatics.