Abstract
Objective: By detecting the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) in the lung tissues of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) , to investigate their correlation and clinical significance in IPF.
Methods: Twenty-two eligible idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients, who were diagnosised by pathology of lung tissues were retrospective study from the 1st affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Wuxi City People's hospital. Immunohistochemistry(IHC) was performed to examine the expression of MIF in the lung tissues of these patients. Meanwhile, coexisting of MIF and TGF-β1 in the lung tissue were detected by double immunofluorescence staining technique. MIF high expression rate was compared between the IPF group and the control group (normal patients) and among IPF patients in different clinical subgroups.
Results: Immunohistochemistry showed that MIF high expression rate in the lung tissues of IPF was significant higher than that in control group (72.7% vs 27.3%; P=0.024). Among IPF patient subgroups, MIF high expression rate showed no significant difference in terms of clinical features and parameters, such as age, gender, smoking,acute excerbation or stable phase, with or without pulmonary artery hypertension, with or without hypoxemia, survival or not (P>0.05). By double immunofluorescence staining, in IPF group, MIF and TGF-β1 showed simultaneously enhanced expression and co-existed to varying degrees.
Conclusions: Expression of both MIF and TGF-β1 in the lung tissues of IPF patients is higher than those with control group, suggesting MIF may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IPF.
- Copyright ©ERS 2015