Meloni F, Bertoletti R, Corsico A, Di Fazio P, Cecchettin M, Gialdroni-Grassi G
Chair of Chemotherapy, University of Pavia, Italy.
Int J Tissue React. 1992;14(4):195-201.
Bombesin-related peptides (BRP), a family of neuropeptides showing carboxy-terminal homology with the amphibian bombesin, are present in humans in many body systems (CNS, lung, gastro-intestinal tract) with a variety of biological activities. In the lung, BRP are mitogens for normal bronchial epithelial cells and fibroblasts, chemoattractant for monocytes and exert bronchoconstrictive activity. Increased levels of BRP have been described in the lung of cigarette smokers and in smoking-related diseases. Moreover appreciable quantities of BRP have been recently found in lysates of peripheral monocytes and alveolar macrophages of man and guinea pig. It has therefore been inferred that these peptides may play a role in the immunological function of lung tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of BRP present in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC), monocytes and alveolar macrophages (AM) of normal subjects (n = 36) and chronic bronchitis patients (n = 36). Patients with chronic bronchitis showed a significant increase in BRP levels in all cell types (PBMNC, monocytes and AM) (p < 0.005) in comparison with normal subjects. In addition levels of BRP in monocytes and AM were found to be nearly four times higher than in PBMNC in both groups of subjects. We can therefore confirm previous observations concerning the presence of BRP in human cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Furthermore our results demonstrate that BRP levels are increased in monocytes of chronic bronchitis patients and imply a potential role for these neuropeptides in lung immunological response in smoking-related diseases.
蛙皮素相关肽（BRP）是一类神经肽，其羧基末端与两栖类蛙皮素具有同源性，存在于人体的许多身体系统（中枢神经系统、肺、胃肠道）中，具有多种生物学活性。在肺中，BRP是正常支气管上皮细胞和成纤维细胞的促有丝分裂原，是单核细胞的趋化因子，并具有支气管收缩活性。在吸烟者的肺以及与吸烟相关的疾病中，BRP水平升高。此外，最近在人和豚鼠的外周单核细胞和肺泡巨噬细胞裂解物中发现了相当数量的BRP。因此，据推测这些肽可能在肺组织的免疫功能中发挥作用。本研究的目的是确定正常受试者（n = 36）和慢性支气管炎患者（n = 36）的外周血单核细胞（PBMNC）、单核细胞和肺泡巨噬细胞（AM）中BRP的含量。与正常受试者相比，慢性支气管炎患者所有细胞类型（PBMNC、单核细胞和AM）中的BRP水平均显著升高（p < 0.005）。此外，在两组受试者中，单核细胞和AM中的BRP水平均比PBMNC中的高近四倍。因此，我们可以证实先前关于单核细胞-巨噬细胞谱系的人类细胞中存在BRP的观察结果。此外，我们的结果表明，慢性支气管炎患者单核细胞中的BRP水平升高，这意味着这些神经肽在吸烟相关疾病的肺免疫反应中可能发挥潜在作用。
