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Tissue fibrocytes in patients with mild asthma: A possible link to thickness of reticular basement membrane?

Nihlberg, Kristian LU ; Larsen, Kristoffer LU ; Hultgårdh, Anna LU ; Malmström, Anders LU orcid ; Bjermer, Leif LU ; Westergren-Thorsson, Gunilla LU and Löfdahl, Claes-Göran LU (2006) In Respiratory Research 7.
Abstract
Background: Myofibroblasts, proposed as being derived from circulating fibrocytes, are considered to be important cells in thickening of the basement membrane in patients with asthma. We have studied the correlation of tissue fibrocyte levels to basement membrane thickness and the presence of fibrocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in steroid-naive patients with mild asthma and controls. Methods: Patients with mild asthma (n=9) were recruited and divided into two categories based on whether or not fibroblast-like cells could be established from BALF. Non-asthmatic healthy subjects (n=5) were used as controls. Colocalization of the fibrocyte markers CD34, CD45RO, procollagen I, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) were... (More)
Background: Myofibroblasts, proposed as being derived from circulating fibrocytes, are considered to be important cells in thickening of the basement membrane in patients with asthma. We have studied the correlation of tissue fibrocyte levels to basement membrane thickness and the presence of fibrocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in steroid-naive patients with mild asthma and controls. Methods: Patients with mild asthma (n=9) were recruited and divided into two categories based on whether or not fibroblast-like cells could be established from BALF. Non-asthmatic healthy subjects (n=5) were used as controls. Colocalization of the fibrocyte markers CD34, CD45RO, procollagen I, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) were identified in bronchial biopsies from patients and controls by confocal microscopy. Kruskall-Wallis method was used to calculate statistical significance and Spearman coefficient of rank correlation was used to assess the degree of association. Results: In patients with BALF fibroblasts, a 14-fold increase of tissue cells expressing CD34/CD45RO/alpha-SMA and a 16-fold increase of tissue cells expressing CD34/procollagen I was observed when compared to controls (p<0.05). In contrast, patients without BALF fibroblasts displayed a 2-fold increase when compared to controls (p<0.05). Fibrocytes were localized close to the basement membrane which was significantly thicker in patients with BALF fibroblasts when compared to the other two groups of subjects. Furthermore, basement membrane thickness could be correlated to the number of fibrocytes in tissue (r=0.711). Fibroblasts-like cells were cultured from BALF where 17.6% of these cells expressed CD34, CD45RO and alpha-SMA. Conclusion: These findings indicate a correlation between recruited fibrocytes in tissue and thickness of basement membrane. Fibroblast progenitor cells may therefore be important in airway remodeling in steroid-naive patients with mild asthma. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Respiratory Research
volume
7
article number
50
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • wos:000237396100002
  • pmid:16571120
  • scopus:33646526470
ISSN
1465-9921
DOI
10.1186/1465-9921-7-50
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
dcef070d-38eb-4a67-9949-53d766c7d01b (old id 908675)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:13:12
date last changed
2022-04-13 07:49:20
@article{dcef070d-38eb-4a67-9949-53d766c7d01b,
  abstract     = {{Background: Myofibroblasts, proposed as being derived from circulating fibrocytes, are considered to be important cells in thickening of the basement membrane in patients with asthma. We have studied the correlation of tissue fibrocyte levels to basement membrane thickness and the presence of fibrocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in steroid-naive patients with mild asthma and controls. Methods: Patients with mild asthma (n=9) were recruited and divided into two categories based on whether or not fibroblast-like cells could be established from BALF. Non-asthmatic healthy subjects (n=5) were used as controls. Colocalization of the fibrocyte markers CD34, CD45RO, procollagen I, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) were identified in bronchial biopsies from patients and controls by confocal microscopy. Kruskall-Wallis method was used to calculate statistical significance and Spearman coefficient of rank correlation was used to assess the degree of association. Results: In patients with BALF fibroblasts, a 14-fold increase of tissue cells expressing CD34/CD45RO/alpha-SMA and a 16-fold increase of tissue cells expressing CD34/procollagen I was observed when compared to controls (p&lt;0.05). In contrast, patients without BALF fibroblasts displayed a 2-fold increase when compared to controls (p&lt;0.05). Fibrocytes were localized close to the basement membrane which was significantly thicker in patients with BALF fibroblasts when compared to the other two groups of subjects. Furthermore, basement membrane thickness could be correlated to the number of fibrocytes in tissue (r=0.711). Fibroblasts-like cells were cultured from BALF where 17.6% of these cells expressed CD34, CD45RO and alpha-SMA. Conclusion: These findings indicate a correlation between recruited fibrocytes in tissue and thickness of basement membrane. Fibroblast progenitor cells may therefore be important in airway remodeling in steroid-naive patients with mild asthma.}},
  author       = {{Nihlberg, Kristian and Larsen, Kristoffer and Hultgårdh, Anna and Malmström, Anders and Bjermer, Leif and Westergren-Thorsson, Gunilla and Löfdahl, Claes-Göran}},
  issn         = {{1465-9921}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{Respiratory Research}},
  title        = {{Tissue fibrocytes in patients with mild asthma: A possible link to thickness of reticular basement membrane?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1465-9921-7-50}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/1465-9921-7-50}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}