Journal
RESPIRATORY RESEARCH
Volume 19, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s12931-018-0940-7
Keywords
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Disease mechanisms; Lung function decline; Smoking habits; Bronchoalveolar lavage
Categories
Funding
- Swedish Heart-Lung foundation
- Vasterbotten County Council
- Visare Norr Fund/ Northern County Councils Regional Federation
- Umea University
- King Gustaf V's and Queen Victoria's Freemason Foundation
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BackgroundCytotoxic lymphocytes are increased in the airways of COPD patients. Whether this increase is driven primarily by the disease or by smoking is not clear, nor whether it correlates with the rate of decline in lung function.MethodsBronchoscopy with BAL was performed in 52 subjects recruited from the longitudinal OLIN COPD study according to pre-determined criteria; 12 with COPD and a rapid decline in lung function (loss of FEV(1)60ml/year), 10 with COPD and a non-rapid decline in lung function (loss of FEV(1)30ml/year), 15 current and ex-smokers and 15 non-smokers with normal lung function. BAL lymphocyte subsets were determined using flow cytometry.ResultsIn BAL fluid, the proportions of NK, iNKT and NKT-like cells all increased with pack-years. Within the COPD group, NK cells - but not iNKT or NKT-like cells - were significantly elevated also in subjects that had quit smoking. In contrast, current smoking was associated with a marked increase in iNKT and NKT-like cells but not in NK cells. Rate of lung function decline did not significantly affect any of the results.ConclusionsIn summary, increased proportions of NK cells in BAL fluid were associated with COPD; iNKT and NKT-like cells with current smoking but not with COPD. Interestingly, NK cell percentages did not normalize in COPD subjects that had quit smoking, indicating that these cells might play a role in the continued disease progression seen in COPD even after smoking cessation.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02729220.
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