BACKGROUND: Little is known about the role of interleukin (IL)-1 in the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. This study investigated the relationship between IL-1 signalling, neutrophilic inflammation and structural lung changes in children with CF. METHODS: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf) from 102 children with CF were used to determine IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-8 levels and neutrophil elastase (NE) activity, which were then correlated to structural lung changes observed on chest computed tomography (CT) scans. RESULTS: IL-1alpha and IL-1beta were detectable in BAL in absence of infection, increased in the presence of bacterial infection and correlated with IL-8 (p<0.0001), neutrophils (p<0.0001) and NE activity (p<0.01 and p<0.001). IL-1alpha had the strongest association with structural lung disease (p <0.01) in the absence of infection (uninfected: p<0.01 vs. infected: p=0.122). CONCLUSION: Our data associates IL-1alpha with early structural lung damage in CF and suggests this pathway as a novel anti-inflammatory target.
- Montgomery, S. T.
- Dittrich, A. S.
- Garratt, L. W.
- Turkovic, L.
- Frey, D. L.
- Stick, S. M.
- Mall, M. A.
- Kicic, A.
- Arest, C. F.
Keywords
- Airway epithelium
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypoxia
- Interleukin (IL)-1
- Mucus
- Neutrophilic inflammation
