Table 2.

Quantification of Cox-2 Immunogold-Silver-Staining Intensity: Experiments in the Presence of 1.5% Plasma (Mean Gray Values)

Structures	Control	50 ng/ml LPS (2 h)	1000 ng/ml LPS		10,000 ng/ml LPS
			1 hour	2 hours	1 hour	2 hours
Bronchial epithelial cells of bronchi (1st and 2nd generation)	462 ± 14.4	659 ± 3.4***	651 ± 19.9***	907 ± 28.3***	741 ± 54.6***	575 ± 24.9*/###
Bronchial epithelial cells of bronchi (3rd generation) and bronchioli	450 ± 13.7	634 ± 27.2***	588 ± 17.6***	748 ± 20.0***	679 ± 12.3***	610 ± 18.0***/##
Bronchial smooth muscle cells	605 ± 9.8	832 ± 27.4*	622 ± 7.9	949 ± 45.5***	762 ± 6.6	604 ± 38.6###
Cells of the BALT	415 ± 0.3	656 ± 1.5***	534 ± 10.9***	869 ± 4.3***	757 ± 3.2***	467 ± 1.2*/###
Single cells in the alveolar septum	419 ± 3.1	444 ± 4.9	430 ± 4.4	680 ± 6.7***	623 ± 24.8***	561 ± 27.7***/###
Alveolar macrophages	424 ± 7.7	482 ± 28.3	487 ± 18.9	620 ± 47.4***	553 ± 4.5*	506 ± 26.2##
Macrophage-like cells	1413 ± 144.6	1578 ± 94.1	1008 ± 115.9*	960 ± 74.1*	720 ± 73.8***	447 ± 6.6***/#
Endothelial cells	n.d.	n.d.	436 ± 16.4	577 ± 27.8***	639 ± 22.5***	464 ± 38.8###
Vascular smooth muscle cells of large arteries at the hilum	450 ± 14.0	883 ± 33.3*	793 ± 63.8*	959 ± 45.2**	1057 ± 26.5***	1121 ± 250.2***
Vascular smooth muscle cells of partially muscular vessels	1190 ± 11.7	1750 ± 154.3	1623 ± 223.7	2435 ± 110.2***	2207 ± 229.4***	1831 ± 69.3*/#
Myocytes of large veins at the hilum	1073 ± 72.0	1671 ± 20.7***	1462 ± 80.6***	1674 ± 101.1***	1530 ± 65.0***	872 ± 3.2*/###

Mean ± SE gray values for each group of buffer-perfused lungs is given. Each group comprised 5 independent lung experiments, and cross-sections from three randomly selected tissue blocks originating from different lung lobes were investigated per lung. Statistical significance: P < 0.05*, < 0.01**, < 0.001*** versus control; endothelial cells versus 1000 ng/ml, 1 hour; P < 0.05^#, < 0.01^##, <0.001^### versus 1000 ng/ml, 2 hours.

n.d., staining not detected.