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Iron-binding and storage proteins in sputum.

Neil E Alexis1, Judy H Richards, Jacqueline D Carter

  • 1Center for Environmental Medicine and Lung Biology, and Division of Pulmonary Medicine and Allergy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA. Neil_Alexis@med.unc.edu

Inhalation Toxicology
|May 25, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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Healthy airways concentrate iron and iron-binding proteins like ferritin and lactoferrin more than deep lung spaces. This suggests a protective response to inhaled iron particles in the bronchial airways.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Environmental Health
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Induced sputum (IS) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sample distinct lung regions.
  • Iron deposition is higher in bronchial airways than alveolar spaces.
  • Iron-binding proteins in BAL are known, but airway levels are undefined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Compare iron and iron-binding protein levels in IS, BAL, and bronchial lavage (BL).
  • Investigate the distribution of iron-related proteins in different lung compartments.

Main Methods:

  • Seventeen healthy volunteers underwent IS and bronchoscopy with BAL and BL.
  • Measured total iron, ferritin, lactoferrin, transferrin, and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC).
  • Utilized immunohistochemical staining for protein localization.

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Main Results:

  • IS showed significantly higher concentrations of total iron, ferritin, lactoferrin, and TIBC compared to BAL and BL.
  • Transferrin levels were decreased in IS.
  • Immunohistochemistry confirmed increased ferritin, lactoferrin, and TIBC in IS.

Conclusions:

  • Constitutive levels of iron and most iron-binding proteins are highest in bronchial airways.
  • This distribution suggests an antioxidant defense mechanism against inhaled iron particles.
  • Decreased transferrin with increased ferritin indicates a localized cellular response via iron-response elements.