High concentrations of beta-chemokines in BAL fluid of patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis.
BACKGROUND
T cells are important cellular components of bronchial inflammation in diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB). beta-Chemokines such as RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted) and macrophage inflammatory peptide (MIP)-1alpha are closely related to the migration of inflammatory cells into the lung. In this study, we investigate the contribution of beta-chemokines to the accumulation of T cells in the lungs of patients with DPB.


METHODS
We determined the levels of beta-chemokines in BAL fluid (BALF) and the correlation between these levels and T-cell subsets in BALF of 23 patients with DPB and 16 healthy subjects by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Percentages of CD3+ human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR+, CD8+, and CD8+HLA-DR+ cells in BALF of patients were significantly higher than in the control BALF. The absolute number of CD8+HLA-DR+ cells was also higher in BALF of patients than in the control BALF (p < 0.0001). Phenotypic analysis of CD4+ cells in BALF showed a similar percentage of CD4+CD45RA+ cells and CD4+CD29+ cells in patients and normal subjects. The concentrations of RANTES and MIP-1alpha in BALF of patients with DPB were significantly higher than in BALF of normal subjects (p < 0.05). In addition, there was a significant correlation between the absolute number or percentage of CD8+HLA-DR+ cells and MIP-1alpha concentration in BALF.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the interaction between activated CD8+ T cells and MIP-1alpha may contribute to the pathogenesis of DPB.
Kadota
J
J
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki, Japan. kadota@oita-med.ac.jp
Mukae
H
H
Tomono
K
K
Kohno
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000032:analysis; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology
D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins