title: Detection of a novel macrophage-derived mucus secretagogue (MMS-68) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We have previously described a novel high-molecular-weight macrophage-derived mucus secretagogue (MMS-68) that causes mucuslike glycoconjugate release from cultured airways, nasal explants, and the Ishikawa adenocarcinoma cell line. We have generated monoclonal antibodies against MMS-68 and have developed an antigen-capture ELISA to measure MMS-68 levels in biologic fluids. Using this ELISA, we have demonstrated elevated levels of MMS-68 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of smokers and persons chronic bronchitis, in a patient with asthma and bronchorrhea, and in nasal lavage from patients with allergic rhinitis challenged with histamine and methacholine. We have also demonstrated that both spontaneous and lipopolysaccharide induced MMS-68 production is increased in the culture supernatants of monocytes from patients with steroid-dependent asthmas compared with those from normal control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  To delineate further a role for MMS-68 in the regulation of mucus secretion in asthma, we measured MMS-68 levels in the BALF of 37 patients with non-steroid-dependent asthma and of 16 control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 21 men and 16 women in the asthma group (age range, 17 to 62 years; mean, 33.8 years) and 11 men and five women in the control group (age range, 18 to 42 years; mean, 27.8 years). There were no statistical differences in either total cell count (145.5 x 103 +/- 75.7 cells/mm3 x 10(3) cells/mm3 vs 134 x 103 +/- 65.9 x 10(3) cells/mm3, p < 0.234) or numbers of alveolar macrophages (103.7 x 10(3) +/- 71.7 x 10(3)/mm3 vs 98.7 x 10(3) +/- 65 x 10(3) cells/mm3, p < 0.244) when the asthmatic group was compared with the control group. The MMS-68 level in the asthmatic group was 2.1 +/- 0.25 micrograms MMS-68 per milligram protein compared with 2.09 +/- 0.26 micrograms MMS-68 per milligram protein (p < 0.256) in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no correlation between MMS-68 levels and total protein content, numbers of alveolar macrophages, or the production of other macrophage-derived cytokines including interleukin-1, interleukin-6, or tumor necrosis factor in the asthmatic BALF. Mild asthma, which is clinically not associated with mucus hypersecretion, was not associated with elevated levels of MMS-68. We believe that direct correlation exists between mucus hypersecretion and MMS-68 levels.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Immunology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sperber
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chanez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bousquet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goswami
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Marom
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; C073416:MMS-68 protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha