TY - JOUR T1 - Periostin, a matrix protein, is a novel biomarker for idiopathic interstitial pneumonias JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/09031936.00059810 SP - erj00598-2010 AU - M. Okamoto AU - T. Hoshino AU - Y. Kitasato AU - Y. Sakazaki AU - T. Kawayama AU - K. Fujimoto AU - K. Ohshima AU - H. Shiraishi AU - M. Uchida AU - J. Ono AU - S. Ohta AU - S. Kato AU - K. Izuhara AU - H. Aizawa Y1 - 2011/01/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2010/12/22/09031936.00059810.abstract N2 - Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are histopathologically classified into several types, including usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), and cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP). In this study, we addressed whether periostin, a matrix protein, could be a biomarker to assess histopathological types of IIPs. To accomplish this objective, we performed immunohistochemical analyses in each histopathological type of IIP, we examined serum levels of periostin in IIPs patients and we analysed the relationship between serum levels of periostin and the pulmonary functions in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Periostin was strongly expressed in lungs of UIP and fibrotic NSIP patients, whereas expression of periostin was weak in lungs of cellular NSIP and COP patients as well as in normal lungs. Serum levels of periostin in IPF were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects and COP patients. Furthermore, periostin levels in IPF patients were inversely correlated with their pulmonary functions. Thus, we have found that periostin is a novel component of fibrosis in IIPs. Periostin may be a potential biomarker to distinguish IIPs with fibrosis that may have progressive disease. ER -