Effects of Wood Smoke Constituents on Mucin Gene Expression in Mice and Human Airway Epithelial Cells and on Nasal Epithelia of Subjects with a Susceptibility Gene Variant in .

Background: Exposure to wood smoke (WS) increases the risk for chronic bronchitis more than exposure to cigarette smoke (CS), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Objective: The effect of WS and CS on mucous cell hyperplasia in mice and in human primary airway epithelial cells (AECs) was compared with replicate the findings in human cohorts. Responsible WS constituents were identified to better delineate the pathway involved, and the role of a tumor protein p53 () gene polymorphism was investigated.