X-ray microanalysis of goblet cells in bronchial epithelium of patients with cystic fibrosis.

The elemental composition of goblet cells in bronchial epithelium was investigated by X-ray microanalysis. Biopsies were obtained from the left main bronchus, shock-frozen and freeze-substituted. In comparison to the control group (patients with chronic bronchitis), the goblet cells of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) contained significantly more calcium. The analysis also indicated higher sulphur levels and lower potassium levels in the goblet cells of CF patients. Detailed analysis of a control biopsy showed that the calcium level in the mucous cells of the submucosal glands was considerably higher than that in the goblet cells. Although the data point to a higher calcium content of goblet cell mucus in CF patients, the significance of this finding for the calcium content of the tracheobronchial secretions in CF patients is unclear.