Proteomics as the tool to search for lung disease markers in bronchoalveolar lavage

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Noël-Georis, Isabelle | Bernard, A. | Falmagne, Paul | Wattiez, Ruddy

Affiliations: Laboratoire de Chimie Biologique, Université de Mons-Hainaut, avenue du Champ de Mars 6, B-7000 Mons, Belgium | Unite de Toxicologie Industrielle et de Médecine du Travail, Université Catholique de Louvain, Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs, B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgium

Note: [] Tel.: +32 65 37 3311; Fax: +32 65 37 3320; E-mail: ruddy.wattiez@umh.ac.be

Abstract: Most lung disorders are known to be associated to considerable modifications of surfactant composition. Numerous of these abnormalities have been exploited in the past to diagnose lung diseases, allowing proper treatment and follow-up. Diagnosis was then based on phospholipid content, surface tension and cytological features of the epithelial lining fluid (ELF), sampled by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) during fiberoscopic bronchoscopy. Today, it appears that the protein content of ELF displays a remarkably high complexity, not only due to the wide variety of the proteins it contains but also because of the great diversity of their cellular origins. The significance of the use of proteome analysis of BAL fluid for the search for new lung disease marker proteins and for their simultaneous display and analysis in patients suffering from lung disorders has been examined.

Journal: Disease Markers, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 271-284, 2001