BAL in Children

A Controlled Study of Differential Cytology and Cytokine Expression Profiles by Alveolar Cells in Pediatric Sarcoidosis

¹ From the Department of Physiology, Hopital Trousseau, St. Antoine Medical School, University of Paris, Paris, France
² From the Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Hopital Trousseau, St. Antoine Medical School, University of Paris, Paris, France
³ From the Department of Pulmonology, CHIC Creteil, France

Study objective: The development of BAL in children for both research and clinical purposes has been limited so far by the difficulty in establishing reference values. The aim of the study was (1) to define composition of BAL cellular components in control children and to evaluate the ability of these cells to express various cytokines, and (2) to study modifications of differential cytology and BAL cell cytokine responses in children with interstitial lung disorders.

Populations and methods: Two groups were investigated: a control group of 16 children who were concluded to be free of parenchymal lung disease after complete pulmonary investigation, and a group of 11 children with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Differential cytology was evaluated by standard techniques. BAL cell cytokine expression was studied at the level of messenger RNA (mRNA) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods.

Results: In the control group, differential cell counts appeared to be similar to values reported in adult populations with normal distribution of the data and no influence of age. In this group, no transcripts for interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), IL-6, and tranforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) could be detected. In children with sarcoidosis, different profiles of IL-1β, TNF-, IL-6, and TGF-β expression were individualized which seemed to be related to the activity and/or severity of the disease, IL-6 and TGF-β mRNA being observed only in the more severe forms.

Conclusion: These data provide information on BAL cell number and function in children. Characterization of BAL cytokine expression patterns during the course of interstitial lung diseases in children may be of great interest for evaluation of disease activity and/or severity and therefore for planning of therapy.

Key Words: bronchoalveolar lavage • childhood • cytokine • gene expression • sarcoidosis

Submitted on July 27, 1995
Accepted on November 21, 2007

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