First published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine on 2011 Apr.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Apr 1;183(7):856-64. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201004-0654OC.
Authors: Atochina-Vasserman EN, Winkler C, Abramova H, Schaumann F, Krug N, Gow AJ, Beers MF, Hohlfeld JM
Abstract
Rationale
Objectives
Methods
Measurements and Main Results
The multimeric structure of native SP-D was found to be disrupted after provocation with allergen or a mixture of allergen and LPS. Interestingly, under reducing conditions, sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that 7 of 15 patients with asthma developed an abnormal cross-linked SP-D band after segmental challenge with either allergen or a mixture of allergen with LPS but not LPS alone. Importantly, patients with asthma with cross-linked SP-D demonstrated significantly higher levels of BAL eosinophils, nitrogen oxides, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and S-nitrosothiol–SP-D compared with patients without cross-linked SP-D.
Conclusions
We conclude that segmental allergen challenge results in changes of SP-D multimeric structure and that these modifications are associated with an altered local inflammatory response in the distal airways.