%0 Journal Article %A Nicolas Kahn %A Michael Meister %A Ralf Eberhardt %A Thomas Muley %A Ute Oltmanns %A Felix J.F. Herth %A Michael Kreuter %T MicroRNA analysis in epithelial lining fluid (ELF) compared to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) %D 2014 %J European Respiratory Journal %P 4630 %V 44 %N Suppl 58 %X Introduction & Background:Novel molecular biomarkers are required to improve diagnostics and risk assessment in interstitial lung diseases. Bronchoscopic Microsampling (BMS) of epithelial lining fluid (ELF) might be a potent method for this. In contrast to BAL, ELF can be collected highly localization-specific in the airway of areas with active disease. Aim of our feasibility study was to analyze if ELF-sampling for microRNA analysis was possible by the BMS -technique.Methods: ELF was collected from 10 patients with IPF by BMS from subsegmental bronchi. BAL from the same patients was sampled from the middle lobe or lingula. Total RNA extraction was performed using AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen) according to modified manufacturers' instructions. The quantity of total RNA was measured by spectrophotometer (NanoDrop Technologies). The quality of total RNAs was assessed with Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and Agilent RNA 6000 Pico Kit. MicroRNA expression was measured with QT-PCR.Results:All patients underwent BMS and BAL sampling without complications. MicroRNA extraction was reliably performed with all ELF and BMS samples. In median 64 ng/ul total RNA was extracted from the BMS samples.Conclusion:Here we report for the 1st time successful sampling of adequate ELF-material for microRNA analysis with the BMS–technique. Further investigations aim to perform a microRNA screening for matched BAL and ELF samples of these IPF patients to analyze for distinct biomarkers in ELF. %U