Figure 1

HCl induced lung epithelial injury and inflammatory responses. Human BEAS-2B cells were treated for 30 min with serum-free DMEM either alone (Vehicle, pH 7.4) or containing 40 mM HCl (HCl, pH 4.0). The acidified medium was discarded and the cells were washed three times with complete DMEM to confirm neutralization of the culture medium. The cells were then cultured for up to 48 h. LDH and IL-8 were measured in culture supernatants. ICAM-1 expression was evaluated by Western Blot in cell lysates. Data shown are in triplicate from three experiments. ^*P < 0.05 vs. Vehicle at identical time point, respectively.