PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Beata T. Olejnicka AU - Stefan Marklund AU - Cecilia Andersson AU - Michiko Mori AU - Andrzej Rubaj AU - Claes-Göran Löfdahl AU - Jonas Erjefält TI - Correlation between immunohistochemical CuZn-SOD expression and the histopathological features in small airways of patients with severe COPD DP - 2012 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P785 VI - 40 IP - Suppl 56 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P785.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P785.full SO - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40 AB - The central causative factor of COPD is cumulative oxidative stress as result of long-term tobacco smoking and an extensive inflammatory response. Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are the primary superoxide-scavenging enzymes in mammalian tissues. This study investigate the relationship between inflammatory and SODs profiles in different small airways compartments according to the severity of COPD and local destructive index (DI).The localizations of macrophages (MQ), mast cells, neutrophils, CuZn-SOD, Mn-SOD, and EC-SOD were investigated by immunochemistry using paraffin-embedded sections from 15 controls (nonsmokers+smokers), and 25 subjects with mild-to-very severe COPD. Histological/immunohistochemical analyses were performed using the same Region-of-Interest within each small airway.Significant (p<0.05) up-reglation of CuZn-SOD was observed in bronchiolar epithelium, pulmonary vessels, and alveolar parenchyma in very severe COPD, whereas epithelial Mn-SOD and EC-SOD expressions were less affected. The percentage of CuZn-SOD was higher in alveolar parenchyma in moderate/severe COPD but this did not reach statistical significance. Higher MQ and neutrophils densities were found in the interstitium in very severe COPD. Statistically significant correlation was found between MQ/Mn-SOD and EC-SOD within the small airways and MQ/Mn-SOD in the alveolar parenchyma.In the small airways of patients with very severe COPD there is up-regulation of CuZn-SOD and correlates with the lower DI. The SODs had a patchy distribution in all compartments, where the intensity varied between micro-localization within small airways and alveolar parenchyma.