Phagocytic dysfunction of human alveolar macrophages and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alveolar macrophages in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have fundamental impairment of phagocytosis for nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI). However, relative selectivity of dysfunctional phagocytosis among diverse respiratory pathogens: NTHI, Moraxella catarrhalis (MC), Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP), and nonbacterial particles, as well as the contribution of impaired phagocytosis to severity of COPD, has not been explored.

Methods

Alveolar macrophages, obtained from nonsmokers (n = 20), COPD ex-smokers (n = 32), and COPD active smokers (n = 64), were incubated with labeled NTHI, MC, SP, and fluorescent microspheres. Phagocytosis was measured as intracellular percentages of each.

Results

Alveolar macrophages of COPD ex-smokers and active

SUBMITTER: Berenson CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3836465 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature