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1990
Conference Paper
Titel
Qualitative and quantitative ultrastructural investigations in hamster lungs after chronic inhalation of cadmium compounds
Abstract
Epidemiologic studies have suggested, that inhalation of Cadmium compounds may cause lung cancer in humans. Since the histopathological examination of the lungs revealed an increased tumor incidence in the rat but no carcinogenic effect in the hamster, one goal of this ultrastructural study was to obtain more detailed informations on exposure related epithelial alterations occuring in the latter species. Our observations indicate, that the regenerative process may not only result in a repair of the initial epithelial damage, but may also give rise to bronchio-alveolar hyperplasias by way of transdifferentiation of type-II pneumocytes into Clara cells and possibly also into ciliated cells. In the hamster transdifferentiation of type-II pneumocytes into Clara cells may be a normal process which is occasionally observed in ageing clean air control animals.