KININ B1 RECEPTOR AS A BIOMARKER OF AIRWAY INFLAMMATION RELATED TO SMOKE EXPOSURE

摘要

The invention relates to a method of determining whether a test substance causes airway cell inflammation comprising: contacting the test substance with a sample comprising an airway cell expressing bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R); and determining whether the expression level of B1R in the cell increases significantly in the presence of the substance, thereby indicating that the substance causes inflammation. The significance of the increase of B1R expression is typically based on comparison to B1R level in the cell prior to the exposure to the substance.