| Type I and III procollagen propeptides in sarcoidosis, fibrosing alveolitis and asbestos-related lung diseases | ||
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Procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide is elevated in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and epithelial lining fluid (ELF) in patients with sarcoidosis and fibrosing alveolitis compared to controls.
The level of procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide in BALF correlates with disease activity and is related to parenchymal changes in sarcoidosis and a poor prognosis in fibrosing alveolitis.
Procollagen I carboxyterminal propeptide in BALF and ELF but not in serum is elevated in patients with sarcoidosis, fibrosing alveolitis and asbestosis. Procollagen I carboxyterminal propeptide in BALF is rather a marker of local type I collagen synthesis in lungs than a marker of inflammatory activity of these diseases.
Immunoreactivities for procollagen type I and III propeptides are increased in fibrosing alveolitis and sarcoidosis compared to normal lung in histological lung biopsies. In fibrosing alveolitis, type I and III pN-collagens are distributed especially in areas of alveolar epithelial damage with newly formed fibrosis and epithelial regeneration. They are differently distributed and expressed in sarcoidosis and fibrosing alveolitis, suggesting specific roles for type I and III collagens in pulmonary fibrogenesis.