Effect Of Biomass Exposure Index On Club Cell Protein In A Pulmonary Epithelial Cell Among Rural Cooking Women

Abstract

Background: The club cell protein is secreted in terminal bronchioles, which have a protective role in the lungs. This study explains the potential influence of persistent exposure to wood smoke on club cells in the lungs among rural women in Tamil Nādu, India.  Methodology: A comparative study between wood fuel users and LPG fuel users among 200 healthy rural women was conducted in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nādu, India.Based on age (18-55 yrs) and the women had undergone clinical evaluation before the test. Detailed information about anthropometry data, the ventilation profile, the duration of cooking, and the history of any diseased condition or smoking were collected for both groups. The exposure index is calculated for both groups. Under aseptic precautions, the pulmonary inflammatory marker: club cell – 16 proteins in serum were estimated by ELISA for both groups. Results:  The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the data.The two groups exhibited significant differences in age (p 0.003), height (p 0.000), weight (p 0.000), and BMI (p 0.000). The exposure index was significantly higher among wood fuel users (p <0.000). The median value of the exposure index in the box plot diagram shows higher value for the wood fuel user than the clean fuel user. The club cell protein/CC-16 protein (ng/ml) secretion shows no significant difference (p 0.122) between the two groups but the median value of the box plot was lower for wood fuel users than LPG fuel users.  Negative correlation between exposure index and CC-16 protein secretion for wood fuel user. Conclusion: Prolonged use of wood as a fuel for cooking affects the club cell protein secretion in the lungs among rural women which causes various pulmonary diseasescompare to those using LPG.