Pulmonary immune cells in health and disease: polymorphonuclear neutrophils

The pulmonary vasculature represents the largest reservoir of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in the human body. This is in striking contrast with the paucity of PMNs present in the normal airways and alveoli. However, the respiratory tract constitutes an easy access for microorganisms and particles present in inhaled air and, therefore, efficacious defence mechanisms are required. When the mucociliary clearance and the alveolar macrophages are over-whelmed, the rapid recruitment of PMNs from the lung vasculature appears to be a crucial response of the host against the pathogens. The regulation of adherence of PMNs to endothelial cells (EC), followed by the transendothelial migration are now better understood, and are under the control of a series of adhesion molecules modulated by bacterial and inflammatory mediators. In addition to their defensive role, PMNs have also been implicated in acute and chronic injurious diseases of the lung. Clearly, PMNs contain enough cytotoxic and proteolytic material to induce lesional changes. However, the release of this material is likely to be dependent on environmental factors, including mediators derived from other inflammatory and immune cells. The presence or absence of these factors could explain the fact that high numbers of PMNs can be observed in the airways and alveoli without major lesions whilst in other conditions, a marginal increase of PMNs in the respiratory tract can be associated with major damage and irreversible architectural changes in the lung.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				O. Soehnlein, S. Oehmcke, X, A. G. Rothfuchs, R. Frithiof, N. van Rooijen, M. Morgelin, H. Herwald, and L. Lindbom Neutrophil degranulation mediates severe lung damage triggered by streptococcal M1 protein Eur. Respir. J., August 1, 2008; 32(2): 405 - 412. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Wofford and J. R. Wright Surfactant protein A regulates IgG-mediated phagocytosis in inflammatory neutrophils Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, December 1, 2007; 293(6): L1437 - L1443. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Knaapen, N. Gungor, R. P. F. Schins, P. J. A. Borm, and F. J. Van Schooten Neutrophils and respiratory tract DNA damage and mutagenesis: a review Mutagenesis, July 1, 2006; 21(4): 225 - 236. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Knaapen, R. P.F. Schins, P. J.A. Borm, and F. J. van Schooten Nitrite enhances neutrophil-induced DNA strand breakage in pulmonary epithelial cells by inhibition of myeloperoxidase Carcinogenesis, September 1, 2005; 26(9): 1642 - 1648. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U. Oltmanns, M. B. Sukkar, S. Xie, M. John, and K. F. Chung Induction of Human Airway Smooth Muscle Apoptosis by Neutrophils and Neutrophil Elastase Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., April 1, 2005; 32(4): 334 - 341. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. D. Swain, T. W. Wright, P. M. Degel, F. Gigliotti, and A. G. Harmsen Neither Neutrophils nor Reactive Oxygen Species Contribute to Tissue Damage during Pneumocystis Pneumonia in Mice Infect. Immun., October 1, 2004; 72(10): 5722 - 5732. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Pilette, Y. Ouadrhiri, F. Dimanche, J.-P. Vaerman, and Y. Sibille Secretory Component Is Cleaved by Neutrophil Serine Proteinases but its Epithelial Production Is Increased by Neutrophils through NF-{kappa}B- and p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Dependent Mechanisms Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., April 1, 2003; 28(4): 485 - 498. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. L. Schagat, J. A. Wofford, K. E. Greene, and J. R. Wright Surfactant protein A differentially regulates peripheral and inflammatory neutrophil chemotaxis Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, January 1, 2003; 284(1): L140 - L147. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Pilette, Y. Ouadrhiri, V. Godding, J-P. Vaerman, and Y. Sibille Lung mucosal immunity: immunoglobulin-A revisited Eur. Respir. J., September 1, 2001; 18(3): 571 - 588. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Isowa, S. H. Keshavjee, and M. Liu Role of microtubules in LPS-induced macrophage inflammatory protein-2 production from rat pneumocytes Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, December 1, 2000; 279(6): L1075 - L1082. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. R Rutgers, D. S Postma, N. H T ten Hacken, H. F Kauffman, T. W van der Mark, G. H Koëter, and W. Timens Ongoing airway inflammation in patients with COPD who do not currently smoke Thorax, January 1, 2000; 55(1): 12 - 18. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. JATAKANON, C. UASUF, W. MAZIAK, S. LIM, K. F. CHUNG, and P. J. BARNES Neutrophilic Inflammation in Severe Persistent Asthma Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., November 1, 1999; 160(5): 1532 - 1539. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				P. J. Patel, D. E. Faunce, M. S. Gregory, L. A. Duffner, and E. J. Kovacs Elevation in Pulmonary Neutrophils and Prolonged Production of Pulmonary Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-2 after Burn Injury with Prior Alcohol Exposure Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., June 1, 1999; 20(6): 1229 - 1237. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				T. S. BLACKWELL, L. H. LANCASTER, T. R. BLACKWELL, A. VENKATAKRISHNAN, and J. W. CHRISTMAN Chemotactic Gradients Predict Neutrophilic Alveolitis in Endotoxin-treated Rats Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., May 1, 1999; 159(5): 1644 - 1652. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. SKOLD, X. LIU, T. UMINO, Y. ZHU, Y. OHKUNI, D. J. ROMBERGER, J. R. SPURZEM, A. J. HEIRES, and S. I. RENNARD Human Neutrophil Elastase Augments Fibroblast-Mediated Contraction of Released Collagen Gels Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., April 1, 1999; 159(4): 1138 - 1146. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Liu, S. C. Lazarus, G. H. Caughey, and J. V. Fahy Neutrophil elastase and elastase-rich cystic fibrosis sputum degranulate human eosinophils in vitro Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, January 1, 1999; 276(1): L28 - L34. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Floreani, A. J. Heires, L. A. Welniak, A. Miller-Lindholm, L. Clark-Pierce, S. I. Rennard, E. L. Morgan, and S. D. Sanderson Expression of Receptors for C5a Anaphylatoxin (CD88) on Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells: Enhancement of C5a-Mediated Release of IL-8 upon Exposure to Cigarette Smoke J. Immunol., May 15, 1998; 160(10): 5073 - 5081. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]