Relationship between eosinophilia and levels of chemokines (CCL5 and CCL11) and IL-5 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with mustard gas-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
OBJECTIVE
Therefore, this study was designed to analyze the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid concentrations of IL-5, RANTES (CCL5) and eotaxin (CCL11) and also to examine the relationship between the percentage and absolute number of the BAL eosinophils and these measured chemokines in patients with sulfur mustard (SM) gas-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF).


METHODS
Fifteen veterans with mustard gas-induced PF and 14 normal veterans as control group.


METHODS
Pulmonary function tests, tests for D(LCO), computed tomography scans of the chest, analyses of BAL fluids for RANTES (CCL5), eotaxin (CCL11), and IL-5 were performed in all cases.


RESULTS
Eosinophilic alveolitis was the predominant feature (p < 0.0001). There were significant differences in CCL5, CCL11, and IL-5 levels of BAL fluid between patients with PF and controls (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.001, respectively). The concentrations of CCL5 and CCL11 showed positive correlations with percentage (r = 0.57 and p = 0.03; r = 0.52 and p = 0.04, respectively) and absolute counts (r = 0.54 and p = 0.04, r = 0.53 and p = 0.04, respectively) of BAL eosinophils. There were significant positive correlations between the concentrations of IL-5 and the proportion and total cell number of eosinophils in BAL (r = 0.67 and p = 0.01; r = 0.59 and p = 0.02, respectively) too.


CONCLUSIONS
A significant correlation between BAL CCL5, CCL11, and IL-5 levels and eosinophils in patients with pulmonary fibrosis due to SM gas inhalation has been demonstrated, suggesting that these C-C chemokines and IL-5 contribute to the recruitment of eosinophils cells in the lung in these victims.
Emad
Ali
A
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Pulmonary Diseases, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. lungdep@pearl.sums.ac.ir
Emad
Yasaman
Y
D000328:Adult; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D054413:Chemokine CCL11 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology
C515456:CCL11 protein, human; C483024:CCL5 protein, human; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D015848:Interleukin-5; D009151:Mustard Gas