Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells in hyaline membrane disease and bronchopulmonary dysplasia

The number and distribution of bombesin immunoreactive pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNEC) in fetuses and infants up to 6 months of age was determined on postmortem lung specimens. Individual cells and clusters of cells (neuroepithelial bodies) were found in airways of all sizes, although greater than 95% of the positive cells were located in bronchioles, terminal bronchioles, and respiratory bronchioles. These infants were separated into two groups. In control infants, who died primarily from noncardiopulmonary causes, bombesin immunoreactive neuroendocrine cells were identified throughout the latter half of gestation. As gestation advanced, progressively more positive bronchioles/cm2 of lung tissue and cells/bronchiole were identified. In these control infants, the number of positive bronchioles/cm2 and cells/bronchiole were at the highest level at or near the time of delivery and then gradually declined throughout the first 6 months of life. In contrast, infants who died of acute hyaline membrane disease (1-7 days of life) or bronchiopulmonary dysplasia (2 wk to 6 months of life) demonstrated marked differences in the number of identifiable bombesin immunoreactive neuroendocrine cells when compared to control infants. In early hyaline membrane disease, the number of positive bronchioles/cm2 and cells/bronchiole was markedly decreased. During the transition to chronic bronchopulmonary dysplasia, there appeared to be a marked increase in the number of bombesin immunoreactive cells. The peak number of cells occurred at 2-3 months of life, when substantially more bombesin-immunoreactive cells could be identified in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia than control infants of similar age.