HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 287/6/L1160    most recent 00169.2003v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Aghanouri, R. Articles by Karkhane, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Aghanouri, R. Articles by Karkhane, A.

Fibrogenic cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage aspirates 15 years after exposure to sulfur mustard

¹Research Center for Chemical Injuries, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, ²Center for Research and Development, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and ³Biotechnology and Genetics Engineering National Research Center, Tehran, Iran

Submitted 5 June 2003 ; accepted in final form 19 July 2004

Over 100,000 Iranian war veterans suffer from chronic effects of mustard gas exposure. Sulfur mustard was used by Iraq during the Iraqi-imposed war on Iran (between 1980 and 1988). The major complaints of these patients are mild interstitial fibrosis and bronchiolitis. We aimed to determine the state of fibrosis progression and assessed transforming growth factor (TGF)-1 levels in pulmonary samples and in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) aspirates. A total of 126 war veterans confirmed for lung disease were assessed and compared with three control groups: 1) 64 veterans not exposed to chemical agents, 2) 12 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis civilian patients, and 3) 33 normal persons. BAL was performed via a flexible fiber-optic bronchoscope and the standard manual method. Total protein was measured by Bradford assay, and samples were corrected with regard to coefficients. Samples were concentrated 15-fold by lyophilization and resolubilization. Samples were double-checked using an ELISA test kit. The Mann-Whitney test was used for the data analysis using commercial software. We detected that significant differences between TGF-1 levels between the case group and control group 1 (P = 0.001) and control group 3 (P = 0.003). No significant differences were found between the case group and control group 2 (P = 0.57). Inflammation and fibrotic processes in lung tissue of patients exposed to sulfur mustard may be progressive so IFN- may be a useful drug to these patients' treatment.

transforming growth factor-; bronchiolitis; mustard gas; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis