Jd. Aubert et al., PLATELET-DERIVED GROWTH-FACTOR IN BRONCHIOLITIS OBLITERANS-ORGANIZINGPNEUMONIA, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 155(2), 1997, pp. 676-681
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Emergency Medicine & Critical Care","Respiratory System
Bronchiolitis obliterans-organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a disorder cha
racterized by intraluminal proliferation of connective tissue in dista
l air spaces. As part of a general investigation of the role of growth
factors in this process, the present study examined the expression of
the mitogen, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and one of its re
ceptors, PDGFR-beta, in this disease. Serial sections of lung biopsy s
pecimens from 20 patients with BOOP and 10 control subjects were stain
ed with antibodies against PDGF, PDGFR-beta, and the monocyte/macropha
ge marker CD68. Stereologic point counting showed that PDGF(+) cells r
epresented 4.6+/-1.6% (mean+/-SD) of the volume occupied by lung tissu
e in BOOP and 2.1+/-0.7% in the control subjects (p <0.0001). In both
groups the positive cells were tissue macrophages, and CD68(+) macroph
ages accounted for 10.7+/-4.7% of the lung tissue in BOOP as compared
with 5.4+/-3.7% in the control subjects (p <0.005). PDGFR-beta immunor
eactivity was present in some alveolar epithelial cells in BOOP, but w
as absent in control subjects. We conclude that PDGF(+) cells and CD68
(+) macrophages are found in greater numbers in lungs with BOOP, and a
n increased expression of PDGFR-beta epitopes was observed in some pat
ients with BOOP. We speculate that these molecules are important in th
e pathogenesis of the destructive fibroproliferative process that char
acterizes this disease.