Airway Responsiveness to Methacholine Does Not Change during Chemotherapy in Patients with Chronic Bronchitis and Bronchial Carcinoma

Abstract

To investigate the role of leukocytes and neutrophils in the peripheral blood on airway responsiveness, we studied nine patients with chronic bronchitis and histologically proved bronchial carcinoma before and after chemotherapy. The concentration of methacholine (in mg/ml) necessary to increase specific airway resistance by 100%, PC100SRaw, and the number of leukocytes and neutrophils (in cells x 10(6)/ml) were measured before, and 8 and 16 days after chemotherapy. Mean (SEM) total number of leukocytes decreased significantly (p less than 0.001) from 9.0 (0.8) to 4.4 (0.6) and 3.4 (0.4), and mean (SEM) number of neutrophils decreased significantly (p less than 0.005) from 5.1 (0.7) to 2.8 (0.5) and 1.0 (0.4), respectively. Mean (SEM) PC100SRaw was 3.3 (0.9) at baseline and 3.5 (1.2) and 3.8 (1.0) mg/ml at Days 8 and 16, respectively, without significant differences. These data suggest that a significant chemotherapy-induced leukocyte depletion in the peripheral blood does not influence airway responsiveness in patients with chronic bronchitis and bronchial carcinoma.

Roles of Hyperresponsiveness and Airway Inflammation in Bronchial Asthma

“…These data have suggested that airway responsiveness cannot always be explained by airway inflammation. This hypothesis is further supported by our finding that in patients with chronic bronchitis and bronchial carcinoma, chemotherapy-induced leucocyte deple tion does not influence airway responsive ness to methacholine [47], In patients with cystic fibrosis, airway hyperresponsive ness is less pronounced than in asthmatics [39], though the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis did show signs of inflamma tion.…”

Blood Level of Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil Leukocytes and Bronchial Hyperreactivity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

“…BHR is condition in which airways show a much bigger bronchoconstrictive response to various provocative specific and non-specific agents than it is normal ( 1 ). Bronchial inflammation is the fundamental of BHR ( 1 , 2 ). The more expressive inflammation of bronchial mucosa, the more expressive BHR is ( 2 ).…”

“…Bronchial inflammation is the fundamental of BHR ( 1 , 2 ). The more expressive inflammation of bronchial mucosa, the more expressive BHR is ( 2 ). If the level of BHR is bigger there is bigger number of exacerbations of disease ( 1 , 2 , 3 ).…”

“…Bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) is condition in which airways show a much bigger bronchoconstrictive response to various provocative specific and non-specific agents than it is normal ( 1 ). In the condition of BHR these agents in small quantities, much under the threshold of normal reactivity, get to development of more expressive airway obstruction expressed like bronchospasm ( 1 , 2 ). If the degree of BHR is bigger it is easier to provoke bronchospasm ( 1 , 3 ).…”

“…If the degree of BHR is bigger it is easier to provoke bronchospasm ( 1 , 3 ). Bronchial inflammation, which is caused by various mechanisms, is a fundamental for development of BHR ( 1 , 2 , 3 ). Polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMNL) have an important defensive role against various microorganisms and other agents ( 4 ), but by liberating various substances, first of all the superoxide anion (O 2 ¯) they can damage the bronchial mucosa ( 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ) and so they have influence on the development of bronchial inflammation.…”