Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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To protect against the extracellular activity of serine proteinases, the lung is equipped with serine proteinase inhibitors including secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI) and elafin. Both SLPI and elafin are locally produced by airway epithelial cells, but the mechanisms that regulate the expression of these proteinase inhibitors are relatively unknown. Previous studies using airway epithelial cell lines indicated that neutrophil elastase (NE) increases SLPI mRNA transcripts while decreasing SLPI protein release. Similar results were observed for elafin. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of NE on SLPI and elafin synthesis in cultures of human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC). ⋯ The results from the present study indicate that NE may play a role in the regulation of the antiproteinase screen in the lung and the formation of a protective surface at the epithelial site.