FIGURE 2.
Cigarette smoke exposure increases histologic markers of emphysema in HIV Tg rats, but not in littermate controls. Four to 5-month-old male HIV Tg rats and their littermate controls were exposed to CS for 2 months before sacrifice, removal of the lungs, fixations, and paraffin embedding. Tissues were then cut into 4-µm sections, deparaffinized, and rehydrated before H&E staining to assess mean linear intercept (Lm). Cigarette smoke exposure did not alter the Lm of wild-type rats (A–B) but significantly increased the Lm of HIV Tg rats (C–D), suggesting the development of emphysema. All animals were males (n = 5–6). Individual values and means ± SEM. *P < 0.05 vs. groups at the end of individual lines.