title: Smad molecules expression pattern in human bronchial airway induced by sulfur mustard.
abstract: Airway remodelling is characterized by the thickening and reorganization of the airways seen in mustard lung patients. Mustard lung is the general description for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease induced by sulfur mustard(SM). Pulmonary disease was diagnosed as the most important disorder in individuals that had been exposed to sulfur mustard. Sulfur mustard is a chemical warfare agent developed during Wars. Iraqi forces frequently used it against Iranian during Iran -Iraq in the 1980-1988. Peribronchial fibrosis result from airway remodeling that include excess of collagen of extracellular matrix deposition in the airway wall. Some of Smads families in association with TGF-β are involved in airway remodeling due to lung fibrosis. In the present study we compared the mRNA expression of Smad2, Smad3, and Smad4 and Smad7 genes in airway wall biopsies of chemical-injured patients with non-injured patients as control. We used airway wall biopsies of ten unexposed patients and fifteen SM-induced patients. Smads expression was evaluated by RT-PCR followed by bands densitometry. Expression levels of Smad3 and Smad4 in SM exposed patients were upregulated but Smad2 and Smad7 was not significantly altered. Our results revealed that Smad3, and 4 may be involved in airway remodeling process in SM induced patients by activation of TGF-β. Smad pathway is the most represented signaling mechanism for airway remodeling and peribronchial fibrosis. The complex of Smads in the nucleus affects a series of genes that results in peribronchial fibrosis in SM-induced patients.
authors: Chemical Injury Research Center (CIRC), Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Maryam
authors: M
authors: Adelipour
authors: Abbas Ali
authors: AA
authors: Imani Fooladi
authors: Samaneh
authors: S
authors: Yazdani
authors: Ensieh
authors: E
authors: Vahedi
authors: Mostafa
authors: M
authors: Ghanei
authors: Mohammad Reza
authors: MR
authors: Nourani
mesh_terms: D056151:Airway Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*; D001980:Bronchi / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051785:Smad Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D051785:Smad Proteins; D009151:Mustard Gas