Fig. 1

Association of detoxification enzyme, transcription factors and submucosal cells in the endobronchial mucosal biopsies. Definition of abbreviations: Epi. = epithelium, nucl. = nucleus, Subm. = submucosal, leu. = leukocyte. Total staining (cytoplasmic + nucleus expression), expressed as % of the selected epithelial area. Staining of the nucleus expressed as the number of positively stained nuclei/mm² of the selected epithelial area. Submucosal cells and submucosa leukocyte nucleus AhR expressed as the number of positively stained cells and leukocyte nuclei/mm² of the selected submucosa area. Correlation analyses were carried out using Wilcoxon’s nonparametric Spearman’s correlation with a p value 0.05 considered significant. Comparisons in figure A–G, were performed using the absolute values after the air or diesel exhaust exposure while comparisons in figure H, were performed using the change (value post DE exposure minus value post air exposure) in a given parameter, (N = 16). *indicates correlation is significant at the 0.05 level and ** indicates correlation is significant at the 0.01 level