Number and activity of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in asthma and their relation to airway responsiveness (original) (raw)
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Characterization of airway inflammation in stable bronchial asthma
Lung India, 1995
Fifty stable mild bronchial asthma patients were studied to characterize the airway inflammation using the technique of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). 18 normal non-smoking subjects were studied as control subjects. Total inflammatory cells (29.6±18.4 x 106 /dl vs 16.0±6.6 x 106/dl, p(<0.001), absolute macrophages (24.5±15.9 x 106/dl vs 13.3 ± 5.5 x 106/dl. p<0.001), eosinophils (1.0±1.5 x 106 dl vs 0.1±0.1 x 106/dl, p<0.001) and lymphocytes (3.8±4.2 x 106/dl vs 2.4±1.5 x 106/dl, p<0.05) were significantly higher in BAL fluid from patients with bronchial asthma compared to normal control subjects. Abnormally elevated eosinophils (>4%) and lymphocytes (>28%) in BAL fluid were seen in 15 (30%) and five (10%) patients respectively. This study demonstrates that chronic lung inflammation characterised by abnormally elevated macrophages, eosinophils and lymphocytes persists even in patients with stable mild bronchial asthma, despite medication with oral beta stimulants or...
Journal of physiology and pharmacology: an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society
Although the clinical pictures of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be similar, the pathogenesis differs in many aspects. The aim of the present study was to compare the cellular and biochemical features of airway inflammation in patients with asthma and COPD. The study was conducted in 22 patients with asthma (M/F 12/10, mean age 36 ±14 years) and 17 patients with COPD (M/F 10/7, mean age 57 ±11 years). Each patient underwent sputum induction followed by bronchoscopy, and bronchoalveolar lavage. Total and differential cell counts and the concentration of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured in induced sputum (IS) and BALF. We found no significant differences in the total and differential cell counts in IS between asthma and COPD patients. However, COPD patients showed an increased total macrophage count in BALF compared with asthma patients. The relative eosinophil count in BALF was significantly higher in patients with asthma vs. COPD. The concentration of IL-8 in IS and BALF was significantly higher in patients with COPD vs. asthma patients. The BALF concentration of MPO was significantly higher in patients with COPD compared with asthma patients. We conclude that the comparison of cellular composition and the concentration of inflammatory mediators in IS does not differentiate between asthma and COPD. The evaluation of BALF reveals more differences in the cellular and biochemical features of airways inflammation in patients with asthma and COPD than that of IS.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1996
Cellular and mediator profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage have not been compared systematically between patients with asthma of different severities, mainly because the patients' with more severe asthma have an increased need for antiinflammatory medication. Information is limited to comparisons of allergic and intrinsic asthma, which can be distinguished clinically. When patients from these two groups with similar degrees of" bronchial hyperresponsiveness were compared, both groups showed increased numbers" of activated Thelper lymphocytes; those in the allergic group expressed the IL-2
European Respiratory Journal, 1994
A Al lv ve eo ol la ar r m ma ac cr ro op ph ha ag ge e--i in nd du uc ce ed d s su up pp pr re es ss si io on n o of f p pe er ri ip ph he er ra al l b bl lo oo od d m mo on no on nu uc cl le ea ar r c ce el ll l r re es sp po on ns si iv ve en ne es ss s i is s r re ev ve er rs se ed d b by y i in n v vi it tr ro o a al ll le er rg ge en n e ex xp po os su ur re e i in n b br ro on nc ch hi ia al l a as st th hm ma a Alveolar macrophage-induced suppression of peripheral blood mononuclear cell responsiveness is reversed by in vitro allergen exposure in bronchial asthma. ABSTRACT: Little information is available on the specific role of alveolar macrophages (AMs) in modulating local cellular reactions to inhaled allergens in atopic asthma.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 1999
Status asthmaticus (SA) is an acute respiratory failure combining an acute bronchospastic reaction with a severe airway inflammation. We previously reported an important influx of neutrophils and an increased secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in patients with SA. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate in bronchial lavage (BL) of patients with SA (n ϭ 9) under mechanical ventilation (MV) the concentrations of cytokines and related mediators which have the ability to modulate inflammation, either proinflammatory (interleukin-1  [IL-1  ], IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-␣ [TNF-␣ ]), or antiinflammatory mediators (IL-10, transforming growth factor- 1 [TGF- 1]), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist [IL-1Ra], soluble TNF receptor I and II [sTNFRI and II]). To determine the relative importance of both pro-and anti-inflammatory mediators, the net inflammatory activity was analyzed by the capacity of BL fluids (BLF) to increase intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in the human lung A549 epithelial cell line. These data were compared with those obtained from patients who required MV without respiratory disease (V, n ϭ 4), controlled asthma (A, n ϭ 11), and nonsmoking healthy volunteers (C, n ϭ 8). Levels of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-␣ , and of the active form of TGF- 1 were significantly higher in SA compared with the other groups. The concentrations of IL-1Ra, IL-10, the latent form of TGF- 1, and of the sTNFRI and II were not significantly different between SA and V, albeit higher in SA than in A and C. The ratio between IL-1Ra and IL-1  was significantly higher in patients with SA compared with the other groups, whereas there was no difference for the ratio between both types of sTNFR and TNF-␣. Despite a marked increase of anti-inflammatory mediators in BL from patients with SA, the net inflammatory activity was found to be proinflammatory and mainly due to the presence of bioactive IL-1  (79% inhibition of ICAM-1 expression with anti-IL-1  antibodies) and to a lesser extent TNF-␣ (32% inhibition with anti-TNF-␣ antibodies). Tillie-Leblond I, Pugin J, Marquette C-H, Lamblin C, Saulnier F, Brichet A, Wallaert B, Tonnel A-B, Gosset P. Balance between proinflammatory cytokines and their inhibitors in bronchial lavage from patients with status asthmaticus.