title: [Determination of plasma and sputum substance P content in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of substance P (SP) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma and sputum samples were obtained from 26 COPD patients and 20 asthmatic patients as well as 12 healthy subjects for measurement of SP content.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with COPD had significantly higher levels of SP in the plasma (7.9+/-2.6 pmol/L) and sputum (53.8+/-12.5 pmol/L) than the healthy subjects (3.6+/-1.7 pmol/L and 6.2+/-2.3 pmol/L, respectively, P<0.01). The asthmatic patients also had significantly higher SP levels (8.3+/-3.1 pmol/L and 46.9+/-10.2 pmol/L, respectively) than the healthy subjects, but there was no significant difference between COPD and asthmatic patients (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SP may be involved in the airway inflammation process in COPD and asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Disease, 458 Hospital of PLA, Guangzhou 510600, China. winterpower@163.com
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xian-rong
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Xiao-qun
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Xing-fang
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry*; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D013373:Substance P