Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012:2012:981730.
doi: 10.1155/2012/981730. Epub 2012 Jun 25.

Decreased apoptotic rate of alveolar macrophages of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Affiliations

Decreased apoptotic rate of alveolar macrophages of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Fotios Drakopanagiotakis et al. Pulm Med. 2012.

Abstract

Introduction. Increased apoptosis of epithelial cells and decreased apoptosis of myofibroblasts are involved in the pathogenesis of IPF. The apoptotic profile of alveolar macrophages (AMs) in IPF is unclear. Aim. To investigate whether AMs of patients with IPF exhibit a different apoptotic profile compared to normal subjects. Methods. We analyzed, by immunohistochemistry, the expression of the apoptotic markers fas, fas ligand , bcl-2, and bax in AM obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 20 newly diagnosed, treatment-naive IPF patients and of 16 controls. Apoptosis of AM was evaluated by Apoptag immunohistochemistry. IPF patients received either interferon-g and corticosteroids or azathioprine and corticosteroids for six months. Results. BALF AMs undergoing apoptosis were significantly less in IPF patients. No difference was found in the expression of fas or fas ligand, bcl-2 and bax between IPF and control group. No difference was found between the respiratory function parameters of the two treatment groups after six months. A positive correlation was found between the number of bcl-2 positive stained macrophages and DLCO after treatment. Conclusions. The decreased apoptotic rate of AM of patients with IPF is not associated with decreased expression of apoptosis mediators involved in the external or internal apoptotic pathway.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Computerized image analysis of stained BALF macrophages in patients with IPF. Brown colored dots represent the expression of apoptotic markers (objects) in BALF macrophages: (a) bax, (b) bcl-2, (c) fas, (d) ApoptAg.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean staining densities for apoptotic markers between IPF patients (blue) and control (red). Values range between 0–255 A statistically significant increase in Apoptag density (reduced apoptosis expression) is observed in IPF patients.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean number of positive objects (positive-stained cells) for apoptotic markers between IPF patients (blue) and control (red). A statistically significant increased number of Apoptag objects and of the antiapoptosis marker bcl-2 are observed in the control group compared to IPF patients.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Decreased expression of apoptosis (Apoptag) in BALF macrophages of patients with IPF (a) compared to the control group (b).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Decreased expression of the antiapoptotic bcl-2 protein in BALF macrophages of patients with IPF (a) compared to the control group (b).

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bouros D, Antoniou KM. Current and future therapeutic approaches in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. European Respiratory Journal. 2005;26(4):693–702. - PubMed
    1. Drakopanagiotakis F, Xifteri A, Polychronopoulos V, Bouros D. Apoptosis in lung injury and fibrosis. European Respiratory Journal. 2008;32(6):1631–1638. - PubMed
    1. Tzouvelekis A, Karameris A, Tsiambas E, et al. Telomerase in pulmonary fibrosis: a link to alveolar cell apoptosis and differentiation. Pneumon. 2010;23(3):224–239.
    1. Vandivier RW, Henson PM, Douglas IS. Burying the dead: the impact of failed apoptotic cell removal (efferocytosis) on chronic inflammatory lung disease. Chest. 2006;129(6):1673–1682. - PubMed
    1. Brantly M, Avila NA, Shotelersuk V, Lucero C, Huizing M, Gahl WA. Pulmonary function and high-resolution CT findings in patients with an inherited form of pulmonary fibrosis, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, due to mutations in HPS-1. Chest. 2000;117(1):129–136. - PubMed