KL-6 and surfactant proteins A and D in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with acute eosinophilic pneumonia.
OBJECTIVE
The serum levels of KL-6, surfactant protein A (SP-A), and SP-D are useful biomarkers and prognostic factors for the activity of interstitial pneumonias. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical roles of the levels of KL-6, SP-A, and SP-D in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP).


METHODS
We researched 5 cases of AEP. The levels of KL-6, SP-A, and SP-D in the sera and BALF of those patients were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
KL-6 levels in BALF did not differ between AEP patients and the healthy control group, while SP-A and SP-D levels in BALF were significantly higher in the AEP patients than in the healthy control group. In sera, AEP patients had significantly higher than normal levels of SP-A and SP-D, but not of KL-6. Only in sera there was a positive correlation between SP-A and SP-D, but no apparent correlations in BALF and also between KL-6 and the others. Furthermore, the BALF levels of SP-D, but not of SP-A or KL-6, statistically correlated with the concentration of albumin in BALF. After clinical improvement, the elevated levels of serum SP-A or SP-D in AEP patients decreased until normal levels were reached within 2 months.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the serum or BALF levels of SP-D appear to be more sensitive than those of SP-A or KL-6 at reflecting the inflammatory response in AEP lungs.
Daimon
Tadahisa
T
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
Tajima
Shunji
S
Oshikawa
Katsuhisa
K
Bando
Masashi
M
Ohno
Shoji
S
Sugiyama
Yukihiko
Y
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000941:Antigens / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000941:Antigens; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; D006023:Glycoproteins; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D