Expression of C-C chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage cells from patientswith granulomatous lung diseases

To determine the role of C-C chemokines in the pathogenesis of granulomatou s lung diseases, we studied the mRNA levels of C-C chemokines, regulated on activation normal T expressed and secreted (RANTES), macrophage inflammato ry protein (MIP)-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells obtained from patients with s arcoidosis (n = 17), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) (n = 4), and cryptog enic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA) (n = 10) using the reverse transcription-po lymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. The mRNA levels of RANTES, MIP- 1 alpha, and MIP-1 beta in BAL cells were significantly correlated with the lavaged lymphocyte proportion, and a significant inverse correlation was o bserved between the mRNA level of MIP-1 beta and the CD4/CD8 ratio of lavag ed lymphocytes. Among the three diseases, the mRNA levels of RANTES and MIP -1 alpha. were significantly higher in the patients with sarcoidosis or HP compared with those in the patients with CFA. The level of MIP-1 beta mRNA was significantly higher in the HP patients compared with that in the patie nts with sarcoidosis or CFA. No significant differences were observed in th e level of MCP-1 mRNA among the three diseases. Thus, RANTES and MIP-1 alph a were suggested to be important in the pathogenesis of granulomatous infla mmation in sarcoidosis and HP. MIP-1 beta might play an important role in t he pathogenesis of HP, mediating the recruitment of lymphocytes specific to HP.