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Plasmacytoid monocytes appear in the bronchoalveolar lavage: differences between smokers and nonsmokers
1Klinik für Innere Medizin I, University Hospital Charité of Humboldt University Berlin, Germany.
Insights
Plasmacytoid monocytes (PM) appear in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, particularly in smokers. This study identifies PM in the lungs and links their presence to smoking, not lung disease.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a diagnostic tool for lung diseases.
- Surface antigen expression on immune cells in BAL can indicate cellular function and origin.
- The presence and role of specific monocyte subsets in the lung are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the expression of surface antigens (CD68, CD36, 27E10, G16/1, RM3/1) on BAL cells.
- To identify and describe a novel cell population in the BAL of smokers and nonsmokers.
- To investigate the association between this cell population and smoking status or lung disease.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from 40 subjects (16 smokers, 24 nonsmokers).
- Flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry to detect surface antigen expression (CD68, CD36, etc.).
- Morphological assessment of identified cell populations.
Main Results:
- A distinct cell type, morphologically resembling lymphocytes but expressing monocyte markers CD68 and CD36, was identified.
- These cells were identified as plasmacytoid monocytes (PM).
- PM were significantly increased in the BAL of smokers compared to nonsmokers.
- No significant increase in PM was observed in relation to various lung diseases.
Conclusions:
- This study reports the first evidence of plasmacytoid monocytes (PM) in human bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid.
- The presence of PM in BAL is significantly associated with smoking.
- Data suggest a monocytic origin for PM and a potential role in lung immune responses, particularly T cell-mediated responses.
Abstract:
The primary purpose of this study was to describe the expression pattern of the surface antigens CD68, CD36, 27E10, G16/1, and RM3/1 on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells of smokers and nonsmokers. We found a cell type, morphologically similar to lymphocytes, which showed a strong expression of the monocyte markers CD68 and CD36. We therefore recognized these cells as plasmacytoid monocytes (PM). Hereby we report the appearance of PM in the BAL and its dependency of smoking. The study was conducted in 40 patients with various lung diseases and normal subjects. Sixteen patients and normal subjects were smokers and 24 were nonsmokers. There was a significant increase of PM in the BAL of smokers compared to nonsmokers. However we could not find a disease-related increase of PM in the BAL. This is the first report demonstrating the occurrence of PM in the BAL. Our data support the monocytic origin of PM and suggest an involvement in T cell-mediated responses of the lung.
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