Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia.
Eur Respir J. 2012 Jun;39(6):1361-7. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00084411. Epub 2011 Oct 27.
We have investigated whether mast cells are associated with bronchodilator responsiveness and airway vascular changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) airways. We have previously shown that the reticular basement membrane is hypervascular and the lamina propria is hypovascular in COPD. Bronchial biopsies from 32 COPD subjects, 15 smokers with normal lung function and 17 controls, were immunostained for factor VIII, mast cell tryptase and chymase antibodies. Mast cells in the airway smooth muscle, the reticular basement membrane and the underlying lamina propria were quantitated. 41% of COPD subjects had significant bronchodilator responsiveness, but this was not related to smooth muscle mast cell numbers. The reticular basement membrane had greater mast cell density in all groups compared with controls (p<0.01). In this compartment, perivascular mast cell density was related to hypervascularity. Lamina propria mast cell density was increased only in COPD (p<0.05). Perivascular mast cell density in the lamina propria was not related to its decreased vessel density. Bronchodilator responsiveness in COPD is not related to large airway smooth muscle mast cells of either type; both reticular basement membrane and lamina propria mast cells are increased in COPD patients, and perivascular mast cells may be involved in increased angiogenesis in the reticular basement membrane.
我们研究了肥大细胞是否与慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）气道的支气管扩张剂反应性和气道血管变化有关。我们之前已经表明，COPD 气道的网状基底膜是高血管的，固有层是低血管的。对 32 名 COPD 患者、15 名肺功能正常的吸烟者和 17 名对照者的支气管活检进行了因子 VIII、肥大细胞胰蛋白酶和糜蛋白酶抗体的免疫染色。定量气道平滑肌、网状基底膜和下固有层中的肥大细胞。41%的 COPD 患者具有显著的支气管扩张剂反应性，但这与平滑肌肥大细胞数量无关。与对照组相比，所有组的网状基底膜都具有更高的肥大细胞密度（p<0.01）。在这个隔室中，血管周围肥大细胞密度与高血管性有关。固有层肥大细胞密度仅在 COPD 中增加（p<0.05）。固有层中血管周围肥大细胞密度与其血管密度降低无关。COPD 的支气管扩张剂反应性与两种类型的大气道平滑肌肥大细胞均无关；COPD 患者的网状基底膜和固有层肥大细胞均增加，血管周围肥大细胞可能参与网状基底膜中血管生成的增加。
