%0 Journal Article
%T Expression of CTGF and TNFa in alveolar macrophages of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis before and after treatment with azathioprine or interferon-¦Ã-1b
%A Areti Xifteri
%A Fotis Drakopanagiotakis
%A Argyris Tzouvelekis
%A Evangelos Tsiambas
%J Pneumon
%D 2011
%I Hellenic Thoracic Society & Hellenic Bronchologic Society
%X SUMMARY.Backgrou nd: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lungdisorder the aetiology of which is unknown and for which there isno effective therapy. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) andtumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF¦Á) have been reported to participatesignificantly in the pathogenesis of the disease. The role of alveolarmacrophages in the expression of these cytokines remains unclear.Materials and Methods: Samples of bronchoalveolar lavagefluid (BALF) derived from 20 newly diagnosed patients with IPF beforeand after 6 months of treatment with either interferon (IFN-¦Ã-1b) andprednisolone (10 patients) or azathioprine (AZA) and prednisolone(10 patients) and from 10 normal subjects (control group) were usedfor the analysis of CTGF and TNF¦Á protein expression in the alveolarmacrophages. The effectiveness of the two drug regimes on thepulmonary function tests (FEV1, FVC, DLCO) and PaO2 and PaCO2 ofthe patients with IPF was investigated. Results: Decreased CTGFprotein expression was detected in the patients with IPF comparedwith the control group (p=0.001). TNF¦Á expression in IPF patientsdid not differ from that of the normal control subjects. Neither ofthe drug regimes affected the protein expression of these factorsorthe pulmonary function parameters. Co nclusion: These findingssuggest that the alveolar macrophages are not the main source ofCTGF and TNF¦Á in IPF. Treatment with either AZA or IFN-¦Ã-1b did notresult in any significant change in the protein expression of thesefactors. Pneumon 2011, 24(2):149-156.
%K idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
%K azathioprine
%K interferon-¦Ã-1b
%K bronchoalveolar lavage
%K CTGF
%K TNF¦Á
%K alveolar macrophages
%U http://www.pneumon.org/865/newsid844/407/linktopdf844/1