Alveolar epithelial cells type II show a high sensitivity to cigarette smoke extract

Alveolar epithelial cells type II (AECII) play an important role in the normal pulmonary function as well as in the host defense and immune response. The human tumor cell line A549 is the most popular model of AECII. In the presented study, the effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on primary AECII and A549 as well as the epithelial adenocarcinoma cell line H1975 were investigated. Tumor-free lung tissue from patients who underwent lobectomy due to cancer at the LungenClinic Großhansdorf was used to isolate AECII. Briefly, after crushing the lung tissues, AECII were separated by negative selection via a CD45.…