Chemokinrezeptorexpression auf T-Zellen in bronchoalveolärer Lavage und peripherem Blut bei Kindern mit chronischer Bronchitis und interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen

Background: Lymphocytes are recruited to sites of inflammation by
chemokines. Accordingly, a number of chemokine receptors are
differentially expressed on effector T cells. We hypothesized that
selected T cells accumulate in inflammatory lung diseases involving
different pulmonary compartments. To test this hypothesis the
frequencies of chemokine receptor expressing T cells were compared
in peripheral blood (PB) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of
children with chronic bronchitis and interstitial lung diseases.
Methods: BAL was performed in 70 children. According to clinical,
macroscopic and cytological findings 37 children were selected for
the study and classified as chronic bronchitis (CB, n=17, m=7, mean
age 6.6 yrs.) or interstitial lung diseases (ILD, n=20, m=13, mean
age 7.0 yrs.). Patients (n=33) with other diagnoses or without
cells in BALF were excluded. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were analyzed in
PB (n=30) and BALF (n=37) by flow cytometry. The percentages of
CCR5+and CXCR3+ cells were determined within each T cell subset.
Results are expressed as medians. For statistical analyses
non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney U) were applied.
Results: In peripheral blood, the percentage of CXCR3+ T cells
(16.4%, range: 0-35.2%) was higher than the percentage of CCR5+ T
cells (3.9%, range: 0-19.1%; p