Elevated Levels of Thioredoxin 1 in the Lungs and Sera of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Non-Specific Interstitial Pneumonia and Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia

Abstract

Oxidant stress is thought to be involved in the establishment of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). Thioredoxin 1 (TRX1) plays a role as a strong antioxidant in vivo, suggesting that TRX1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of IIPs. However, there is no report on TRX1 levels in the sera of IIPs. In addition, TRX1 expression in the lungs of non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) patients also has not been reported. Here, we investigated whether or not TRX1 levels are altered in the lungs and sera of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), NSIP, and COP. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to examine the expression of TRX1. TRX1 levels in sera were measured using an ELISA kit. TRX1 was expressed in the bronchiole-alveolar epithelium, especially with regenerative or metaplastic feature, and in alveolar macrophages in usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and fibrotic NSIP. TRX1 was weakly expressed in the lungs of cellular NSIP and COP. TRX1 producing cells in UIP (n=16), fibrotic NSIP (n=15), cellular NSIP (n=4), and COP (n=5) were significantly increased when compared to nonsmokers (n=7). TRX1 producing cells in UIP and fibrotic NSIP were significantly increased when compared to cellular NSIP and COP. TRX1 levels in the sera of the patients with IPF (n=32; 74.2 ± 7.5 ng/mL), fibrotic NSIP (n=7; 82.5 ± 18.4 ng/mL), cellular NSIP (n=3; 62.2 ± 3.2 ng/mL) and COP (n=17; 88.8 ± 19.7 ng/mL) were significantly higher than those of control subjects (n=74; 35.3 ± 2.7 ng/mL). Furthermore, TRX1 levels in the sera of IPF patients who later showed acute exacerbation (n=7; 106.6 ± 16.3 ng/mL) were significantly higher than those of IPF patients without acute exacerbation (n=25; 65.1 ± 7.6 ng/mL). Overproduction of TRX1 in the lungs and sera may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IIPs.