Production of pro-inflammatory polypeptides by airway mucous glands and its potential significance.
Burn patients often develop respiratory distress and ARDS several days after injury. An ovine model allows experimental study of this problem. In sheep the injury is characterized by intense acute inflammation in the trachea and bronchi from 3 to 48h after injury, with accumulation of neutrophils, fibrin and other plasma proteins, and mucus in airway lumens. We have carried out immunostaining for multiple cytokines in this model, including interleukin-8 (IL-8), Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1alpha), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). All of these show intense immunostaining in airway mucous glands. IL-1beta and VEGF show substantial constitutive staining in the serous cells of mucous glands, while IL-8, IL-1alpha, and TNF-alpha show substantially increased expression after injury. This pattern of expression of cytokines in mucous glands, and the apparent release of cytokines into the lumen after injury, are considered potentially highly significant in the progression of injury in this model. In addition, a proinflammatory function of mucous glands might prove to be important in chronic lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and asthma.
Cox
Robert A
RA
Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, and Shriners Burns Hospital, Galveston, TX, USA.
Burke
Ann S
AS
Traber
Daniel L
DL
Herndon
David N
DN
Hawkins
Hal K
HK
D000818:Animals; D001980:Bronchi / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D003239:Connective Tissue Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005337:Fibrin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020397:Goblet Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009077:Mucins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012756:Sheep; D015208:Smoke Inhalation Injury / Q000150:complications; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014136:Tracheitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D007378:Interleukins; D009077:Mucins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D005337:Fibrin