Impaired in vitro beta-adrenergic granulocyte response in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Isoproterenol (ISO), histamine (HIS), and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) inhibit the in vitro release of the lysosomal enzyme, beta-glucuronidase, from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) during incubation with complement-coated zymosan particles. In asthma, this granulocyte response to ISO and HIS is impaired. Using this in vitro cell model to assess granulocyte beta-adrenergic response, we studied 23 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). All had long-standing disease and severe obstruction (FEV1 = 37.5% of predicted). The granulocyte response to HIS challenge in patients with COPD was normal when compared to control subjects, in contrast to the response from the asthmatic group. The granulocyte response to ISO challenge in patients with COPD, however, was reduced compared to control subjects, but not to the degree found in the asthmatics. This demonstrated that reduced granulocyte response to ISO is not limited to asthmatics, but can be found as well in other obstructive diseases of the lung.