Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in induction of cytotoxicity,inflammatory factor release level and apoptosis between two cigarettes with different tar releases. METHODS: The amounts of tar release under the suction parameters as specified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) were 9.4 mg per cigarette in sample 1 and 14.0 mg per cigarette in sample 2. Beas-2b cells were divided into clean air control and smoke-exposed groups. The clean air or diluted mainstream smoke generated by the VITROCELL system was used to expose the cells in the form of an air-liquid interface. After calculation,the dose for the clean air control group was 0 mainstream smoke and the doses of the smoke-exposed group were:mainstream smoke from 0.12%,0.27%,0.57%,and 1% cigarette. The neutral red uptake cytotoxicity test was used to detect the cell viability;the ELISA method was used to detect the IL-6 and IL-8 expression levels;the Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cells analytical method was used to detect the level of apoptosis. RESULTS: Both of the mainstream smoke produced by samples 1 and 2 reduced survival rates of Beas-2b cells,and significantly increased the release levels of inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-8 and the apoptosis rates. At the 0.12% cigarettes smoke dose,there was no statistically significant difference in the cytotoxicity,inflammatory factor release level and apoptosis rate caused by the smoke of samples 1 and 2. At the 0.57% and 1% cigarette smoke doses,sample 2 had more significant cytotoxicity than sample 1. CONCLUSION: Both cigarette samples with different tar releases caused cytotoxicity,pro-inflammatory factor release,and apoptotic effects. In the range of 0.57% to 1%,cigarette smoke with high tar release was more cytotoxic than cigarette smoke with low tar release.

Key words: whole smoke exposure, cigarettes, inflammatory factors, apoptosis