Increase of nitrosative stress in patients with eosinophilic pneumonia

Abstract

Abstract Background Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) production is increased in asthma and reflects the degree of airway inflammation. The alveolar NO concentration (Calv) in interstitial pneumonia is reported to be increased. However, it remains unknown whether NO production is increased and nitrosative stress occurs in eosinophilic pneumonia (EP). We hypothesized that nitrosative stress markers including Calv, inducible type of NO synthase (iNOS), and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), are upregulated in EP. Methods Exhaled NO including fractional exhaled NO (FENO) and Calv was measured in ten healthy subjects, 13 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and 13 patients with EP. iNOS expression and 3-NT formation were assessed by immunocytochemistory in BALf cells. The exhaled NO, lung function, and systemic inflammatory markers of the EP patients were investigated after corticosteroid treatment for 4 weeks. Results The Calv levels in the EP group (14.4 ± 2.0 ppb) were significantly higher than those in the healthy subjects (5.1 ± 0.6 ppb, p NO and the corrected Calv levels (all p NO (p Conclusions These results suggested that excessive nitrosative stress occurred in EP and that Calv could be a marker of the disease activity.

Keywords

• Alveolar nitric oxide
• corticosteroid
• fractional exhaled nitric oxide
• inducible type of nitric oxide synthase
• 3-nitrotyrosine