HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted 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 Add to My Personal Article Archive Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kalomenidis, I. Articles by Light, R. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kalomenidis, I. Articles by Light, R. W.

Transforming Growth Factor-ß₃ Induces Pleurodesis in Rabbits and Collagen Production of Human Mesothelial Cells^*

^* From the Department of Critical Care and Pulmonary Services (Dr. Kalomenidis), Athens Medical School, Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece; the Department of Allergy Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (Dr. Light), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; the Department of Pulmonary Medicine (Drs. Lane and Hawthorne), St. Thomas Hospital and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; and Department of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine (Dr. Guo), First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.

Correspondence to: Ioannis Kalomenidis, MD, Department of Critical Care and Pulmonary Services, Athens Medical School, Evangelismos Hospital, 45–47 Ipsilantou, 10675, Athens, Greece; e-mail: jkalomenidis{at}hotmail.com

Study objective: The aim of this study was to examined whether transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß₃ induces pleurodesis in rabbits and collagen production by human pleural mesothelial cells in vitro.

Design: A combined animal and in vitro study.

Methods: TGF-ß₃ was injected intrapleurally in rabbits at the following doses: 0.167 µg, 0.5 µg, 1.67 µg, and 5 µg (five rabbits per group). The rabbits were killed 14 days following injection, and pleurodesis was graded from 1 (none) to 8 (complete symphysis). Pleural mesothelial cell cultures were established from benign pleural effusions and treated with TGF-ß₃ for 48 h at the following doses: 0 (control), 5 ng/mL, 1.5 ng/mL, 5 ng/mL, and 15 ng/mL and 50 ng/mL (two independent experiments). Collagen I messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results: The median pleurodesis score was 5 (interquartile range [IQR], 4.5) in the 0.167-µg group, 6 (IQR, 5) in the 0.5-µg group, 8 (IQR, 1) in the 1.67-µg group, and 8 (IQR, 0.5) in the 5-µg group (p = 0.012). Higher TGF-ß₃ doses induced the production of significantly more pleural fluid than the lower doses (p = 0.005). The pleural fluid induced by higher doses contained significantly lower numbers of nucleated cells (p = 0.014) and lactate dehydrogenase levels (p = 0.013) than the pleural fluid induced by lower doses of the agent. TGF-ß₃ markedly enhanced collagen I mRNA expression by the human pleural mesothelial cells. This effect peaked at 5 ng/mL TGF-ß₃. With this dose of TGF-ß₃, the collagen I mRNA expression was increased 16-fold over control levels.

Conclusion: TGF-ß₃ causes a dose-dependent pleurodesis when administered intrapleurally in rabbits, and induces collagen messenger RNA synthesis from human pleural mesothelial cells.

Key Words: collagen expression • mesothelial cells • pleurodesis • rabbits • transforming growth factor-ß₃