Register for email alerts and news feeds:
This journal | BMJ Group
rss
Published Online First: 17 August 2006. doi:10.1136/jcp.2006.037002
Journal of Clinical Pathology 2007;60:907-911
Copyright © 2007 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Association of Clinical Pathologists.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Differential distribution of inflammatory cells in large and small airways in smokers

Salvatore Battaglia1, Thais Mauad1,3, Annemarie M van Schadewijk1, Antonia M Vignola2, Klaus F Rabe1, Vincenzo Bellia2, Peter J Sterk1 and Pieter S Hiemstra1

1 Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
2 Dipartimento di Medicina, Pneumologia, Fisiologia e Nutrizione Umana (DIMPEFINU), Sezione di Pneumologia e Medicina, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
3 Department of Pathology, Sao Paulo University Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr P S Hiemstra
Department of Pulmonology, C3-P, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), PO Box 9600, NL-2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands;p.s.hiemstra{at}lumc.nl

Background: Smoking induces structural changes in the airways, and is considered a major factor in the development of airflow obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, differences in inflammatory cell distribution between large airways (LA) and small airways (SA) have not been systematically explored in smokers.

Hypothesis: The content of cells infiltrating the airway wall differs between LA and SA.

Aims: To compare the content of neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and mast cells infiltrating LA and SA in smokers who underwent surgery for lung cancer.

Methods: Lung tissue from 15 smokers was analysed. Inflammatory cells in the lamina propria were identified by immunohistochemical analysis, quantified by digital image analysis and expressed as number of cells per surface area.

Results: The number of neutrophils infiltrating the lamina propria of SA (median 225.3 cells/mm2) was higher than that in the lamina propria of LA (median 60.2 cells/mm2; p<0.001). Similar results were observed for mast cells: 313.3 and 133.7 cells/mm2 in the SA and LA, respectively (p<0.001). In contrast, the number of CD4 cells was higher in LA compared with SA (median 217.8 vs 80.5 cells/mm2; p = 0.042). Conclusions: These findings indicate a non-uniform distribution of neutrophils and mast cells throughout the bronchial tree, and suggest that these cells may be involved in the development of smoking-related peripheral lung injury.

Abbreviations: COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; LA, large airways; SA, small airways


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Andersson, C K, Mori, M, Bjermer, L, Lofdahl, C-G, Erjefalt, J S (2009). Novel site-specific mast cell subpopulations in the human lung. Thorax 64: 297-305 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Vernooy, J H J, Drummen, N E A, van Suylen, R J, Cloots, R H E, Moller, G M, Bracke, K R, Zuyderduyn, S, Dentener, M A, Brusselle, G G, Hiemstra, P S, Wouters, E F M (2009). Enhanced pulmonary leptin expression in patients with severe COPD and asymptomatic smokers. Thorax 64: 26-32 [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article

Services
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.

Pathology jobs

Pathology jobs