Increase of nitrosative stress in patients with eosinophilic pneumonia

• Published in: Respiratory research 2011-06, Vol.12 (76), p.81-81, Article 81
• Main Authors: Furukawa, Kanako, Sugiura, Hisatoshi, Matsunaga, Kazuto, Ichikawa, Tomohiro, Koarai, Akira, Hirano, Tsunahiko, Yanagisawa, Satoru, Minakata, Yoshiaki, Akamatsu, Keiichiro, Kanda, Masae, Nishigai, Manabu, Ichinose, Masakazu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-nitrotyrosine; Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; Aged; Alveolar nitric oxide; Analysis of Variance; Asthma; Bacterial pneumonia; Breath Tests; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - chemistry; Care and treatment; Case-Control Studies; Complications and side effects; corticosteroid; Corticosteroids; Exhalation; Female; fractional exhaled nitric oxide; Health aspects; Humans; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - metabolism; Immunohistochemistry; inducible type of nitric oxide synthase; Inflammation; Inflammation Mediators - blood; Japan; Male; Middle Aged; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II - metabolism; Physiological aspects; Pneumonia; Pulmonary alveoli; Pulmonary Alveoli - drug effects; Pulmonary Alveoli - metabolism; Pulmonary eosinophilia; Pulmonary Eosinophilia - drug therapy; Pulmonary Eosinophilia - metabolism; Pulmonary Eosinophilia - physiopathology; Respiratory Function Tests; Stress, Physiological - drug effects; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Tyrosine - analogs & derivatives; Tyrosine - metabolism; Up-Regulation
• ISSN: 1465-993X; 1465-9921; 1465-993X
• DOI: 10.1186/1465-9921-12-81

Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) production is increased in asthma and reflects the degree of airway inflammation. The alveolar NO concentration (Calv) in interstitial pneumonia is reported to be increased. However, it remains unknown whether NO production is increased and nitrosative stress occurs in eosinophilic pneumonia (EP). We hypothesized that nitrosative stress markers including Calv, inducible type of NO synthase (iNOS), and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), are upregulated in EP. Exhaled NO including fractional exhaled NO (FENO) and Calv was measured in ten healthy subjects, 13 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and 13 patients with EP. iNOS expression and 3-NT formation were assessed by immunocytochemistory in BALf cells. The exhaled NO, lung function, and systemic inflammatory markers of the EP patients were investigated after corticosteroid treatment for 4 weeks. The Calv levels in the EP group (14.4 ± 2.0 ppb) were significantly higher than those in the healthy subjects (5.1 ± 0.6 ppb, p < 0.01) and the IPF groups (6.3 ± 0.6 ppb, p < 0.01) as well as the FENO and the corrected Calv levels (all p < 0.01). More iNOS and 3-NT positive cells were observed in the EP group compared to the healthy subject and IPF patient. The Calv levels had significant positive correlations with both iNOS (r = 0.858, p < 0.05) and 3-NT positive cells (r = 0.924, p < 0.01). Corticosteroid treatment significantly reduced both the FENO (p < 0.05) and the Calv levels (p < 0.01). The magnitude of reduction in the Calv levels had a significant positive correlation with the peripheral blood eosinophil counts (r = 0.802, p < 0.05). These results suggested that excessive nitrosative stress occurred in EP and that Calv could be a marker of the disease activity.