PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Laia Garcia-Bellmunt
AU  - Eder Freddy Mateus
AU  - Jordi Giner
AU  - Ingrid Solanes
AU  - Alfons Torrego
AU  - Diego Castillo
AU  - Astrid Crespo
AU  - Borja G. Cosío
AU  - Ernest Sala
AU  - Marcos I. Restrepo
AU  - Antonio Anzueto
AU  - Vicente Plaza
AU  - Oriol Sibila
TI  - Airway MUC2 is decreased in patients with severe COPD and bacterial colonization
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P4945
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4945.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4945.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Rationale: Mucins are mucus glycoproteins essential for airway protection. We hypothesized that lower airway mucins levels may affect bacterial colonization in stable patients with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Objective: To assess the association between secreted mucin levels and the presence of airway PPB in stable severe COPD patients.Material and methods: Clinically stable (>6 weeks) severe COPD patients were examined prospectively. All patients underwent a CT scan, sputum collection and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and protected specimen brush (PSB). Patients with bronchiectasis or other lung diseases were excluded. Samples were processed for microbiological cultures and detection of secreted mucins (MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC5B) using ELISAs. Bacterial colonization was considered when PSB culture was positive for Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria (PPB).Results: We enrolled 45 COPD patients, with mean age (SD) of 67 (±8) years and mean FEV1 of 41% (±10) of predicted. In 14/45 patients (31%), bronchoscopic samples were positive for PPB. H. influenzae was the most common PPB (57%). There were no differences in age, gender, lung function and COPD treatment among colonized and non-colonized patients. Colonized COPD patients had lower levels of MUC2 in BAL and sputum, with statistically significant differences in sputum (60 ±31 vs. 38 ±33 ng/dL, p=0.04). No differences in MUC5B and MUC5AC levels were observed among groups.Conclusions: Secreted airway MUC2 levels are decreased in severe COPD patients colonized by PPB. These findings may be one of the mechanisms that could explain the airway colonization of stable COPD patients.Funded by ISCIII (PS09/2567).