The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
-
J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 2002
Upregulation of chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as a predictive marker of post-transplant airway obliteration.
The early stage of post-transplant obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) is characterized by an influx of inflammatory cells to the lung, among which neutrophils may play a role in key events. The potential for chemokines to induce leukocyte accumulation in the alveolar space was investigated. We assessed whether changes in the chemotactic expression profile could be used as sensitive markers of the onset of OB. ⋯ These data support the belief that RANTES, IL-8 and MCP-1 play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of OB. The results show that relevant increased levels of such chemokines may predict BOS, and suggest that there is potential for some of these markers to be used as early and sensitive markers of the onset of BOS. Longitudinal monitoring of these chemokine signals may contribute to better management of patients at risk for developing OB, at a stage when remodeling can either be reversed or altered.