Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by abundant collagen production and accumulation of alternatively activated macrophages (M2) in the lower respiratory tract. Mechanisms as to how alveolar macrophages are activated by collagen breakdown products are unknown. Alveolar macrophages were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage from 30 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 37...

We have found that normal alveolar macrophages can kill an intracellular parasite by a mechanism that does not involve toxic metabolites of oxygen. We studied the interaction between Toxoplasma gondii and rat alveolar macrophages in vitro. We were interested in Toxoplasma because it causes pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients but not in healthy individuals, and we chose the rat because it res...

Alveolar macrophages express many proteins important in iron homeostasis, including the iron importer divalent metal transport 1 (DMT1) and the iron exporter ferroportin 1 (FPN1) that likely participate in lung defense. We found the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin (HAMP) is also produced by alveolar macrophages. In mouse alveolar macrophages, HAMP mRNA was detected at a low level when not stim...

Alveolar macrophages are likely the first cell type to encounter Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a pulmonary infection, resulting in the production of chemokines. In order to evaluate this response, alveolar macrophages harvested from nonvaccinated and Mycobacterium bovis BCG-vaccinated guinea pigs were infected in vitro with live M. tuberculosis H37Ra or H37Rv (multiplicity of infection, 1:1) or...

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and alveolar macrophages are two important components of the immune system in the respiratory tract. Fc alpha-receptors (Fc alpha R) are present on neutrophils, eosinophils and a series of human mononuclear phagocytes, including monocytes, alveolar macrophages and leukaemia cell lines (U-937). In the present study, using idiotypes and anti-idiotypic antibodies, we report ...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of lower respiratory tract disease in children and individuals with cell-mediated immunodeficiencies. Airway epithelial cells may be infected with RSV, but it is unknown whether other cells within the lung permit viral replication. We studied whether human alveolar macrophages supported RSV replication in vitro. Alveolar macrophages expos...

We have investigated the effects of inflammatory mediators and beta-adrenoceptor agonists on the adenylyl cyclase responsiveness in alveolar macrophages from control subjects, patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthmatics. Basal cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels in alveolar macrophages from COPD patients were significantly elevated (plus 42%) as compared to controls...

BACKGROUND Growth hormone (GH) has diverse immunological actions and has been shown to augment oxidative metabolism in rat peritoneal and porcine alveolar macrophages and both human and animal neutrophils. A study was performed to determine the effects of GH on human alveolar macrophages in vitro. METHODS Macrophages were harvested from 10 patients undergoing bronchoalveolar lavage and incuba...

Pulmonary alveolar macrophages were obtained by saline lavage from 23 healthy male volunteers--10 non-smokers and 13 cigarette smokers. Lavage produced three times as many alveolar macrophages in smokers than in non-smokers. When macrophages from smokers and from non-smokers were incubated in vitro, more cells from smokers adhered to glass, spread out, and showed enhanced nitroblue tetrazolium ...

Acton, Jean D. (Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C.), and Quentin N. Myrvik. Production of interferon by alveolar macrophages. J. Bacteriol. 91:2300-2304. 1966.-Rabbit alveolar macrophages inoculated with parainfluenza-3 virus in vitro produce a viral inhibitor which possesses the properties of interferon. The interferon is nondialyzable, is stable at pH 4, is not sedimented at ...