The objective of this study was to identify DNA methylation and gene expression changes associated with chronic beryllium disease (CBD) and sarcoidosis in lung cells obtained by BAL.
BAL was performed in healthy volunteers and in patients with acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP), chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP), and sarcoidosis.
Sarcoidosis specimens consisted of two independent sets of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lymph node biopsies, BAL, Kveim reagent, and fresh granulomatous spleen from a patient with sarcoidosis.
Host-genotype analysis revealed an association of the rs2076530 (<i>BTNL2</i>) risk allele with a decrease in bacterial burden (p=0.002).Our results indicate Scadding type-dependent microbiota in sarcoidosisBAL samples.<i>Atopobium</i> spp. and <i>Fusobacterium</i> spp. were identified as sarcoidosis-associated bacteria, which may enable new insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of the disease.
The CCL8 concentrations in BAL fluid was significantly higher in 86 patients with IPF than those in 41 controls, and other interstitial lung diseases including non-specific interstitial pneumonia (n = 22), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (n = 20) and sarcoidosis (n = 19) (p < 0.005, respectively).
The serum levels of IP-10 were significantly increased only in patients with stages I and II sarcoidosis, while BAL fluid levels of ENA-78 were increased only in stage III sarcoidosis.
The gene expression in BAL fluid macrophages was higher than that in monocytes in patients with IPF (macrophages 1.23 +/- 0.48, vs monocytes 0.50 +/- 0.38, p < 0.05) and healthy subjects (nonsmokers: 1.66 +/- 1.17, vs 0.34 +/- 0.26, p < 0.05, smoker: 1.98 +/- 0.96, vs 0.34 +/- 0.48, p < 0.05, but sarcoidosis patients showed a higher expression of lipocortin I gene even in monocytes (2.62 +/- 1.87, vs 2.66 +/- 2.21).
In an attempt to clear critical cytokines in the development and maintenance of sarcoid granuloma, we have measured the level of seven cytokine mRNA (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8, TGF-beta, PDGF-B, IFN-gamma, and GM-CSF) in cells obtained by BAL from sarcoidosis patients and normal subjects.
A significantly greater number of clones was detected in BAL compared with PBL in both groups (normal: 25.3 +/- 7.2 in PBL vs 62.8 +/- 5.2 in lung; sarcoid: 25.0 +/- 6.2 in PBL vs 90.0 +/- 6.6 in lung, mean value +/- SEM).