Protease-antiprotease imbalance: local evaluation with bronchoalveolar lavage.
The protease-antiprotease imbalance is thought to be involved in a variety of destructive lung diseases: pulmonary emphysema, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis and adult respiratory distress syndrome. Bronchoalveolar lavage allowed the investigators to assess the protease-antiprotease shift in such conditions but sometimes gave conflicting results. The role of bronchoalveolar lavage as a research and diagnostic tool in diseases characterised by protease-antiprotease imbalance is reviewed, as well as its potential usefulness in the near future.
Luisetti
M
M
Istituto di Tisiologia e Malattie Respiratorie dell'Università, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Piccioni
P D
PD
Donnetta
A M
AM
Bulgheroni
A
A
Peona
V
V
D001991:Bronchitis / Q000201:enzymology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000201:enzymology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000201:enzymology*; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000201:enzymology; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology; D012907:Smoking / Q000378:metabolism; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000378:metabolism*; D019896:alpha 1-Antitrypsin Deficiency
D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin; D010450:Endopeptidases