Decreased T lymphocyte infiltration in bronchial biopsies of subjects with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Studies on the inflammatory process in the large airways of patients with mild/moderate COPD have shown a prevalent T lymphocyte and macrophage infiltration of the bronchial mucosa. However, bronchial inflammation in more severe disease has not been extensively studied. Objective The aim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical and experimental allergy 2001-06, Vol.31 (6), p.893-902
Main Authors: Di Stefano, A., Capelli, A., Lusuardi, M., Caramori, G., Balbo, P., Ioli, F., Sacco, S., Gnemmi, I., Brun, P., Adcock, I. M., Balbi, B., Barnes, P. J., Chung, K. F., Donner, C. F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
airflow limitation
Biological and medical sciences
Biopsy
Blotting, Western
Bronchi - metabolism
Bronchi - pathology
CCR5 receptor
CD3 Complex - analysis
CD8 Antigens - analysis
Cell Movement
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma
Female
Forced Expiratory Volume - physiology
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
inflammation
Lung Diseases, Obstructive - epidemiology
Lung Diseases, Obstructive - metabolism
Lung Diseases, Obstructive - pathology
Lymphocyte Count
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Pneumology
Receptors, CCR5 - analysis
Severity of Illness Index
Smoking - metabolism
Smoking - pathology
Statistics as Topic
T lymphocytes
T-Lymphocytes - cytology
T-Lymphocytes - immunology
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Summary:Background Studies on the inflammatory process in the large airways of patients with mild/moderate COPD have shown a prevalent T lymphocyte and macrophage infiltration of the bronchial mucosa. However, bronchial inflammation in more severe disease has not been extensively studied. Objective The aim of the present study was to characterize the lymphocyte infiltration in the bronchial mucosa of subjects with severe, compared to mild, COPD, and to examine the relationship between airflow limitation and T lymphocyte numbers in the bronchial mucosa. Methods We examined bronchial biopsies obtained from nine smokers with severe airflow limitation, nine smokers with mild/moderate airflow limitation and 14 smokers with normal lung function. Immunohistochemical methods on cryostat sections were used to assess the number of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ cells and the number of CD3+ cells coexpressing the chemokine receptor CCR5 (CCR5+CD3+) in the subepithelium. Results Subjects with severe COPD had lower numbers of CD3+, CD8+ and CCR5+CD3+ cells than mild/moderate COPD (P 
ISSN:0954-7894
1365-2222
DOI:10.1046/j.1365-2222.2001.01098.x