Salberini I, Rivolta G, Todaro A, Forni A, Annoni G, Chiappino G
Istituto di Medicina del Lavoro, Università di Milano.
Med Lav. 1991 May-Jun;82(3):238-47.
The N-terminal peptide of type III procollagen (PIIIP) and fibronectin (FBN), two markers possibly implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis, were determined in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and in serum of 27 subjects with a history of occupational exposure to asbestos, in 10 sarcoidosis patients and in 7 healthy controls. At the same time, the study of the cell populations and asbestos bodies count in BAL were also performed. In BAL of sarcoidosis patients the mean concentration of PI-IIIP was higher compared to that of the other two groups, and the difference was significant compared with the healthy controls. Among the group of asbestos workers, both PIIIP and FBN were significantly higher in subjects with radiological signs of pulmonary asbestosis compared with those with no signs of asbestosis. On the basis of BAL cytology, the asbestos-exposed were divided into two subgroups, with or without signs of alveolitis: the mean concentrations of BAL PIIIP was significantly higher in the subgroup with alveolitis. Moreover, in this subgroup there was a positive correlation between total number of cells and PIIIP, and between the number of asbestos bodies and PIIIP in BAL. Serum PIIIP values did not differ significantly among the various groups, with the exception of higher values in sarcoidosis patients. The results of this study seem to confirm the usefulness of PIIIP and FBN determinations in BAL, as indicators of the activity of the fibrotic process which, in particular cases, might also assume a prognostic significance.
在27名有石棉职业暴露史的受试者、10名结节病患者和7名健康对照者的支气管肺泡灌洗液（BAL）和血清中，测定了III型前胶原（PIIIP）的N端肽和纤连蛋白（FBN），这两种标志物可能与肺纤维化的发病机制有关。同时，还对BAL中的细胞群体和石棉小体计数进行了研究。结节病患者BAL中PIIIP的平均浓度高于其他两组，与健康对照相比差异有统计学意义。在石棉工人组中，有肺石棉沉着病放射学征象的受试者的PIIIP和FBN均显著高于无石棉沉着病征象的受试者。根据BAL细胞学检查，将石棉暴露者分为有或无肺泡炎征象的两个亚组：有肺泡炎的亚组中BAL PIIIP的平均浓度显著更高。此外，在该亚组中，BAL中的细胞总数与PIIIP之间以及石棉小体数量与PIIIP之间存在正相关。除结节病患者的值较高外，各亚组血清PIIIP值差异无统计学意义。本研究结果似乎证实了在BAL中测定PIIIP和FBN作为纤维化过程活动指标的有用性，在某些情况下，这也可能具有预后意义。
