Soluble L-selectin concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from infants who develop chronic lung disease of prematurity.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the changes in neutrophil adhesion molecule expression and release into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) obtained from infants who developed chronic lung disease (CLD).


METHODS
BAL fluid was obtained from 37 infants: 18 (median gestation 26 weeks, birthweight 835 g) who developed CLD, 12 (29 weeks, 1345 g) with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and seven control infants (33 weeks, 2190 g).


RESULTS
Soluble L-selectin (sL-selectin) in BAL fluid from the CLD and non-CLD groups was similar immediately after birth, but in infants who subsequently developed CLD, sL-selectin remained persistently increased (at day 7: CLD 42.6 vs RDS 6.0 ng/ml, p < 0.05; CLD vs controls 1.5 ng/ml; p < 0.05). CD11b/CD18 expression on neutrophils obtained by BAL increased with time to reach a maximum at 17 days of age in infants who developed CLD.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that leucocyte traffic persists in infants who develop CLD and may have an important part to play in the pathogenesis of CLD.
Kotecha
S
S
Department of Paediatrics, Hammersmith Hospital, London.
Silverman
M
M
Shaw
R J
RJ
Klein
N
N
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D018821:CD18 Antigens / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000032:analysis*; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D018821:CD18 Antigens; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen; D019041:L-Selectin