[Changes of calcitonin gene-related peptide content in induced sputum from patients with COPD and asthma].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the role of sensory neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the pathogenesis of chronic airway inflammatory diseases COPD and bronchial asthma.


METHODS
Patients with COPD (n = 19), bronchial asthma (n = 14), all were in stable stage and 10 normal volunteers were examined. After hypertonic saline inhalation challenge in all subjects, CGRP-LI concentration in the induced sputum was measured by radioimmunoassay. Cellular content was assayed by microscopic analysis, the relation between CGRP-LI level and FEV1 value was calculated by linear regression.


RESULTS
The sputum CGRP concentrations in patients with COPD and patients with asthma were (15.97 +/- 2.15) ng/L, (18.79 +/- 3.91) ng/L, respectively, both were significantly higher than those in normal volunteers (2.36 +/- 0.35) ng/L. Moreover, CGRP concentrations in induced sputum in each disease group were correlated with the degree of airflow obstruction, r = -0.50 and -0.61, respectively (P < 0.05). The percentage of neutrophil cell count (64.9 +/- 2.9)% was significantly higher in patients with COPD (P < 0.01), while the percentage of eosinophil cell count (5.8 +/- 0.5)% was increased in patients with asthma (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggested that CGRP release may participate in the chronic inflammation of patients with COPD and bronchial asthma.
Xu
H
H
Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University, Beijing 100083.
Zhao
M
M
Wang
X
X
D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D013183:Sputum / Q000378:metabolism*
D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide