Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) in sputum of allergic asthma patients.
Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its inhibitor (PAI-1) have been associated with asthma. The aim of this study was to evaluate concentration of uPA and PAI-1 in induced sputum of house dust mite allergic asthmatics (HDM-AAs). The study was performed on 19 HDM-AAs and 8 healthy nonatopic controls (HCs). Concentration of uPA and PAI-1 was evaluated in induced sputum supernatants using ELISA method. In HDM-AAs the median sputum concentration of uPA (128 pg/ml; 95% CI 99 to 183 pg/ml) and PAI-1 (4063 pg/ml; 95%CI 3319 to 4784 pg/ml) were significantly greater than in HCs (17 pg/ml; 95%CI 12 to 32 pg/ml; p<0.001 and 626 pg/ml; 95%CI 357 to 961 pg/ml; p<0.001 for uPA and PAI-1 respectively). The sputum concentration of uPA correlated with sputum total cell count (r=0.781; p=0.0001) and with logarithmically transformed exhaled nitric oxide concentration (eNO) (r=0.486; p=0.035) but not with FEV1 or bronchial reactivity to histamine. On the contrary, the sputum PAI-1 concentration correlated with FEV1 (r=-0,718; p=0.0005) and bronchial reactivity to histamine expressed as log(PC20) (r=-0.824; p<0.0001) but did not correlate with sputum total cell count or eNO. The results of this study support previous observations linking PAI-1 with airway remodeling and uPA with cellular inflammation. Moreover, the observed effect of uPA seems to be independent of its fibrynolytic activity.
Department of Allergology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland. kowalkmd@amb.edu.pl
Krzysztof
K
Kowal
Sebastian
S
Zukowski
Marcin
M
Moniuszko
Anna
A
Bodzenta-Łukaszyk
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology; D040002:Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013183:Sputum / Q000378:metabolism*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000378:metabolism*
D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator