Study on Relationship between Transforming Growth Factor-β and Procollagen III in Peripheral Blood and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Objective:To determine the level of transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and regarded procollagen Ⅲ (PCⅢ) as a marker of college metabolism, to clarify the role of TGF-β in the pathogenesis of IPF.Methods: The bronchoalveolar lavage was performed to all patients with IPF and 8 healthy controls,and serum was collected at the same time. The levels of PCⅢ and TGF-β in the BALF and serum were measured byusing ELISA assays. Results: The levels of TGF-β and PCⅢ in peripheral blood and in BALF were significantly higher in patients with IPF than control subjects (P0.01). In IPF patients, the BALF concentration of TGF-β was proportionally correlated with concentration of PCⅢ(γ=0.79, P0.01), and the BALF concentration of TGF-β was proportionally correlated with the serum concentration of TGF-β(γ=0.77, P0.01). Conclusions: Excessive TGF-β level exists in patient with IPF, which was proportionally correlated with the activity of collagen metabolism, so it may play a relevant role in the pathogenesis of IPF.