Human lung lysozyme: sources and properties.

Abstract

Lysozyme in human airway secretions is thought to defend the lung against airborne bacteria. Although lysozyme has been purified and characterized from human tears, milk, saliva, and other sources (1-5), human lung lysozyme has received little attention except for measurements of concentrations in sputum (6, 7), immunocytochemical and histochemical localization (8-12),and studies of secretion by alveolar macrophages (13). This study was designed to identify the sources of secreted lung lysozyme, to quantitate the secretory activities of the various sources,and to compare the properties of lysozyme from lung cells with those from other tissues.