Pilot study of inflammatory biomarkers in matched induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage of 2-year-olds with cystic fibrosis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

In this pilot study, we investigated whether induced sputum (IS) could serve as a viable alternative to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and yield robust inflammatory biomarkers in toddlers with cystic fibrosis (CF) featuring minimal structural lung disease.

METHODS:

We collected IS, BAL (right middle lobe and lingula), and blood, and performed chest computed tomography (CT) scans from 2-year-olds with CF (N = 11), all within a single visit. Inflammatory biomarkers included 20 soluble immune mediators and neutrophil elastase (NE), as well as frequency and phenotype of T cells, monocytes/macrophages, and neutrophils.

RESULTS:

At the molecular level, nine mediators showed similar levels in IS and BAL (CXCL1, CXCL8, IL-1α, IL-1RA, IL-6, CCL2, CXCL10, M-CSF, VEGF-A), four were higher in IS than in BAL (CXCL5, IL-1β, CXCL11, TNFSF10), and two were present in IS, but undetectable in BAL (IL-10, IFN-γ). Meanwhile, soluble NE had lower activity in IS than in BAL. At the cellular level, T-cell frequency was lower in IS than in BAL. Monocytes/macrophages were dominant in IS and BAL with similar frequencies, but differing expression of CD16 (lower in IS), CD115, and surface-associated NE (higher in IS). Neutrophil frequency and phenotype did not differ between IS and BAL. Finally, neutrophil frequency in IS correlated positively with air trapping.

CONCLUSIONS:

IS collected from 2-year-olds with CF yields biomarkers of early airway inflammation with good agreement with BAL, notably with regard to molecular and cellular outcomes related to neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages.

• Authors: Vincent D Giacalone, Diego Moncada-Giraldo, Camilla Margaroli, Milton R Brown, George L Silva, Joshua D Chandler, Limin Peng, Rabindra Tirouvanziam, Lokesh Guglani, IMPEDE-CF Program
• Journal: Pediatric pulmonology (Pediatr Pulmonol) Vol. 57 Issue 9 Pg. 2189-2198 (09 2022) ISSN: 1099-0496 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 35637404 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers

Topics

• Biomarkers
• Bronchoalveolar Lavage
• Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Humans
• Neutrophils
• Pilot Projects
• Sputum