Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1997, 182 (4)

Serum Secretory Leukoprotease Inhibitor Levels in Chronic Bronchitis and Sjögren's Syndrome

YUKIKO ANDOH, SANAE SHIMURA, HIROKI SAITOH, TSUYOSHI SASAKI1, HIROAKI MITSUHASHI2 and KUNIO SHIRATO

The First Department of Internal Medicine and 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-77, and 2Teijin Medical Research Center, Tokyo 191

  • Serum secretory leukoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) is synthesized and secreted by serous cells in airway glands, and the serum level is speculated to reflect airway gland hyperplasia. To test this hypothesis, we measured the serum SLPI in 38 clinically stable patients with chronic bronchitis (3F and 35M; 58± 2 years, mean± S.E.M.) (group CB), 24 patients with Sjögren's syndrome (24F; 52± 3 years) (group SG), and compared it with 12 healthy control subjects (6F and 6M; 54± 3 years) (group CN) using an enzyme-1inked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum SLPI from group CB (105± 8 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that from group CN (60± 2 ng/ml) and further, it significantly correlated with sputum volume per day. Although the mean value of serum SLPI from group SG (64± 5 ng/ml) was not different from that from group CN, serum SLPI significantly correlated with the duration of respiratory symptoms (cough and/or sputum) in group SG. In conclusion, serum SPLI level reflects airway gland hyperplasia, suggesting that SLPI measurement is a possible laboratory method to estimate airway glandular hyperplasia.
    Key words--- serum secretory leukoprotease inhibitor; chronic bronchitis; Sjögren's syndrome; bronchial gland hyperplasia
    © 1997 Tohoku University Medical Press

    Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1997, 182, 319-325
    Address for reprints: Kunio Shirato, M.D., Professor and Chairman, The First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-77, Japan.

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