Multinucleate cells (MNC) as sensitive semiquantitative biomarkers of the toxic effect after experimental fibrous dust and cigarette smoke inhalation by rats.

Changes in the counts of binucleate (BNC) and multinucleate cells (MNC) in cell mixtures from lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as well as in proportions of four types of BALF cells: Alveolar macrophages (AM), lymphocytes, polymorphonuclears (PMN), BNC and in total BALF protein were followed in a study comparing the toxicity of wollastonite with that of amosite asbestos in Fischer 344 rats. Both of the fibrous dusts were inhaled every second day at 30 or 60 mg/m3 air combined with daily exposure to cigarette smoke at 30 mg of total particulate matter (TPM)/m3 air for 1 h. The exposures lasted 175 days.