Prostaglandins and thromboxanes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid: possible immunoregulation in sarcoidosis

Prostaglandins are known to be secreted into body fluids. Arachidonic acid cyclooxygenase metabolites (AACM), including prostaglandin E (PGE), prostacyclin, and thromboxane, were measured in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in 11 patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis and 7 healthy volunteers. Using a quantitative technique, we found no difference in the amount of PGE per milliliter lung fluid between the sarcoid group (1,950 +/- 1,507.4 pg/ml lung fluid, mean +/- SD) and the control group (2,112 +/- 932.3 pg/ml lung fluid). In patients with sarcoidosis, there was a positive correlation between the number of lymphocytes in the BAL fluid and the amount of PGE and prostacyclin per milliliters of lung fluid (r = 0.71 and r = 0.81, p less than 0.01), but not thromboxane.