title: Airway Mucin 2 Is Decreased in Patients with Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Bacterial Colonization.
abstract: Mucins are essential for airway defense against bacteria. We hypothesized that abnormal secreted airway mucin levels would be associated with bacterial colonization in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Objectives: To investigate the relationship between mucin levels and the presence of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms in the airways of stable patients with severe COPD Methods: Clinically stable patients with severe COPD were examined prospectively. All patients underwent a computerized tomography scan, lung function tests, induced sputum collection, and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and protected specimen brush. Patients with bronchiectasis were excluded. Secreted mucins (MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC5B) and inflammatory markers were assessed in BAL and sputum by ELISA.
  
  
  
  We enrolled 45 patients, with mean age (±SD) of 67 (±8) years and mean FEV1 of 41 (±10) % predicted. A total of 31% (n = 14) of patients had potentially pathogenic micro-organisms in quantitative bacterial cultures of samples obtained by protected specimen brush. Patients with COPD with positive cultures had lower levels of MUC2 both in BAL (P = 0.02) and in sputum (P = 0.01). No differences in MUC5B or MUC5AC levels were observed among the groups. Lower MUC2 levels were correlated with lower FEV1 (r = 0.32, P = 0.04) and higher sputum IL-6 (r = -0.40, P = 0.01).
  
  
  
  Airway MUC2 levels are decreased in patients with severe COPD colonized by potentially pathogenic micro-organisms. These findings may indicate one of the mechanisms underlying airway colonization in patients with severe COPD. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01976117).
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Oriol
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sibila
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garcia-Bellmunt
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giner
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodrigo-Troyano
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Suarez-Cuartin
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Alfons
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torrego
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Solanes
authors.affiliation: 2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.|3 Laboratori d'Immunologia Experimental, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Eder F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Mateus
authors.affiliation: 2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.|3 Laboratori d'Immunologia Experimental, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.affiliation: 2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.|4 Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònomoa de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Reus
authors.affiliation: 5 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital Son Espases-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Palma, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.|6 Ciber de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.affiliation: 5 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital Son Espases-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Palma, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.|6 Ciber de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Borja G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Cosio
authors.affiliation: 7 South Texas Veterans Health Care System and University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; and.
authors.forename: Marcos I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.affiliation: 7 South Texas Veterans Health Care System and University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; and.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anzueto
authors.affiliation: 8 Tayside Respiratory Research Group, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.affiliation: 1 Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|2 Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plaza
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055262:Mucin-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013030:Spain; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; D055262:Mucin-2
keywords: airway infection; airway inflammation; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; mucins