Decreased small airway and alveolar CD83+ dendritic cells in COPD.
BACKGROUND
Dendritic cells (DCs) have been reported to be increased in the small airways of patients with COPD, but the maturity status of these cells is unclear. We have quantified the numbers of cells expressing markers associated with DC maturation.


METHODS
Lung tissue was obtained at resection for lung cancer from 41 patients with COPD (30 current smokers and 11 ex-smokers; 32 steroid-treated patients and 9 steroid-naïve patients), 19 ex-smokers without COPD and 9 never-smokers without COPD. Tissue sections were immunostained for CD1a to mark immature DCs, and for CD83, fascin, and DC-lysosome-associated membrane protein (DC-LAMP) to delineate mature DCs.


RESULTS
The volume density (ie, the volume of DCs as the percentage volume of the airway wall) comprising CD83+ DCs was significantly reduced in patients with COPD (median, 0; range, 0 to 5.1%) vs smokers (median, 2.8%; range, 0 to 10.2%) and never-smokers (median, 1.9%; range, 0.8 to 5.1%) without COPD (p = 0.000 and 0.012, respectively). Using a semiquantitative score for the alveolar wall, CD83+ DCs also were decreased in patients with COPD (median, 0; range, 0 to 2%) vs smokers (median, 1%; range, 0 to 2%) and never-smokers (median, 1%; range, 0.7 to 2%) without COPD (p = 0.004 and 0.04, respectively). No differences were detected in CD83+ DCs between current smokers and ex-smokers with COPD or between steroid-treated and steroid-naive patients. No differences were detected in CD1a+ DCs. Fascin and DC-LAMP were found to have poor specificity for mature DCs.


CONCLUSIONS
COPD is associated with decreased numbers of (mature) CD83+ DCs in small airways and alveoli. The relevance of such a reduction on pulmonary immune responses requires further investigation.
Tsoumakidou
Maria
M
Departments of Thoracic Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece; Department of Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Services, Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: tsoumak@yahoo.gr.
Koutsopoulos
Anastassios V
AV
Pathology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.
Tzanakis
Nikolaos
N
Departments of Thoracic Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.
Dambaki
Konstantina
K
Pathology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.
Tzortzaki
Eleni
E
Departments of Thoracic Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.
Zakynthinos
Spyros
S
Department of Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Services, Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Jeffery
Peter K
PK
Department of Gene Therapy, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Siafakas
Nikolaos M
NM
Departments of Thoracic Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.
D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D051907:Lysosomal Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012907:Smoking / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D000097802:CD83 Antigen
D015703:Antigens, CD; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D051907:Lysosomal Membrane Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D000097802:CD83 Antigen; C020324:fascin