title: Plasma cells and IL-4 in chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Airway wall inflammation, IL-4, and mucus hypersecretion are thought to be associated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To quantify bronchial inflammatory cells in smokers with chronic bronchitis (CB) with and without airflow obstruction (AO), determining the cells expressing IL-4 and IL-5 and their association with submucosal gland mucin.
  
  
  METHODS
  We applied immunohistochemistry to identify, and double-labeling to colocalize, IL-4 and IL-5 to distinct inflammatory cells in resected bronchi from (1) 11 asymptomatic smokers (AS), (2) 11 smokers with CB, and (3) 10 smokers with CB and AO.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were greater numbers of mucosal and gland CD45(+) leukocytes in CB (epithelium, 673/mm(2); subepithelium, 698/mm(2); gland, 517/mm(2)) than in AS (331, 237, and 178/mm(2), respectively; p < 0.01 for all) or CB + AO (375, 243, and 215/mm(2), respectively; p < 0.05 for all). There were greater numbers of subepithelial and submucosal gland plasma cells in CB (subepithelium, 110/mm(2); gland, 213/mm(2)) compared with AS (38 and 41/mm(2), respectively; p < 0.01 for both), and more subepithelial mast cells in CB (204/mm(2)) than in AS (65/mm(2); p < 0.01) or CB + AO (115/mm(2); p < 0.01). In CB, the percentage of gland occupied by mucin was positively correlated with the numbers of interstitial CD45(+) cells, plasma cells, and IL-4 protein(+) cells. In CB, 69 and 62% of gland-associated plasma cells expressed IL-4 and IL-5, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inflammatory cells are increased in bronchial submucosal glands and mucosa of large airways in smokers with CB. Gland-associated plasma cells express IL-4, and these likely promote mucus hypersecretion.
authors.affiliation: Lung Pathology Unit, Department of Gene Therapy, Imperial College London at the Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney St., London SW3 6NP, UK.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yusheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valobra
authors.forename: Shengyang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Swati
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majumdar
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matin
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Rose
authors.forename: Peter K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Jeffery
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers; D001980:Bronchi / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D029481:Bronchitis, Chronic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism; D009093:Mucus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018075:RNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015848:Interleukin-5; D009077:Mucins; D018075:RNA, Complementary; D015847:Interleukin-4; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens