lactoferrin and Lung-Diseases--Obstructive

We have investigated whether IL-8 is present in airway secretions from patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to obtain information on its possible role in airway inflammation in obstructive airways disease. In the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from 11 clinically stable patients with asthma the levels of IL-8 were increased compared to 10 healthy subjects (median: controls 21.5 pg/ml, asthma 244 pg/ml: p < 0.005). In the patients with asthma the levels of IL-8 correlated with the percentage neutrophils in the BALF (r = 0.81; p < 0.001) and with a parameter of the permeability of the respiratory membrane, the quotient (alpha 2-macroglobulin in BALF)/(alpha 2-macroglobulin in serum) (r = 0.66; p < 0.025). In the sputum sol phase of 9 patients with symptomatic asthma the levels of IL-8 were lower than in 9 patients with COPD (asthma: 6.4 ng/ml; COPD: 16.3 ng/ml; p < 0.02) and significantly correlated with those of neutrophilic myeloperoxidase (MPO; r = 0.85; p < 0.005). The increased levels of IL-8 in the airway secretions from both patients with asthma and COPD may be markers of an ongoing inflammatory process, which is more pronounced in patients with COPD. In patients with asthma the strong correlation between the levels of IL-8 and the percentage neutrophils and/or the levels of MPO points to a role of IL-8 in the recruitment and activation of neutrophils in the airway lumen.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Asthma; Blood Proteins; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Eosinophil Granule Proteins; Humans; Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; Inflammation Mediators; Interleukin-8; Lactoferrin; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Middle Aged; Neutrophil Activation; Neutrophils; Permeability; Peroxidase; Ribonucleases; Sputum

The aggregation of non-serotypable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) by whole saliva from patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) was investigated. Significant differences were observed between salivary aggregating activity of a control and COLD population (P < 0.001). Saliva from patients less prone to acute exacerbations had a greater capacity to aggregate bacteria compared with saliva from patients with a predilection to infection. The mechanism of saliva-mediated aggregation of NTHI was investigated and shown to be related to lysozyme content. Lysozyme activity in saliva was measured by the turbidimetric technique and results showed that patients with chronic bronchitis had increased levels of salivary lysozyme, with a subpopulation within the non-infection-prone group having greater amounts. A significant difference was observed in salivary lysozyme between controls and non-infection-prone (P < 0.005) and infection-prone (P < 0.05) patients, respectively: the non-infection-prone patients having significantly (P < 0.005) more than the infection-prone patients. There was significant correlation (r = 0.742, P < 0.001) between salivary aggregation of NTHI and lysozyme activity. Chromatographically purified human lysozyme had a similar aggregation profile to that of saliva. There was no difference in serum and saliva lactoferrin concentrations between groups, but there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in serum lysozyme concentration in the non-infection-prone group. This study suggests that the level of salivary lysozyme derived from macrophages may play an important role in determining resistance or susceptibility to acute bronchitis.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Aged; Bronchitis; Chronic Disease; Communicable Diseases; Female; Haemophilus influenzae; Humans; Inflammation; Lactoferrin; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Macrophages; Male; Middle Aged; Monocytes; Muramidase; Neutrophils; Saliva; Salivation

The levels of immunoglobulins and other proteins (alpha 2-MG, alpha 1-AT, C3, albumin, transferrin and lactoferrin) were studied in the BAL of 60 patients with different types of pulmonary tuberculosis, 4 patients with sarcoidosis and 7 CNPD patients. The level of most proteins in BAL of the examinees was higher than that reported for healthy subjects. The highest protein levels were noted in CNPD and sarcoidosis patients. The diagnostic importance of the level of alpha 2-MG was established for sarcoidosis. 27 paired BAL-serum specimens from the same patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were investigated for analysis of the mechanisms of protein appearance in BAL. The protein/albumin ratio for most proteins was higher in BAL than in the respective serum. A relatively high level of proteins in the patients' BAL was probably determined by the activation of their local synthesis.

Topics: Albumins; alpha 1-Antitrypsin; alpha-Macroglobulins; Blood Proteins; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Lactoferrin; Lung Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Proteins; Sarcoidosis; Serum Albumin; Transferrin; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

The two basic proteins lysozyme and lactoferrin have been isolated from solubilized mucoid sputum from patients with chronic bronchitis in one step by cation exchange chromatography. In sputa from 13 patients with chronic bronchitis their mean concentrations were 0.4 g/l and 0.7 g/l, respectively, representing 6.6% and 11.5% of the total amount of solubilized protein. Lysozyme and the acid mucin glycoproteins of sputum formed aggregates at low ionic strength, probably as a result of electrostatic interactions between the two. Although only aggregates were formed and not a viscoelastic fluid or a gel, these interactions may contribute to the viscoelastic properties of native sputum.

Topics: Chromatography, Ion Exchange; Humans; Lactoferrin; Lactoglobulins; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Mucins; Muramidase; Sputum; Viscosity