Inducible nitric oxide synthase in pulmonary alveolar macrophages from patients with tuberculosis.

• DOI: 10.1084/jem.183.5.2293
• Publication Date: 2004-06-24T07:56:10Z
• Authors: S Nicholson; M da G Bonecini-A...; J R Lapa e Silva; C Nathan; Q W Xie; R Mumford; J R Weidner; J Calaycay; J Geng; N Boechat; C Linhares; W Rom; J L Ho
• Keywords: Pulmonary alveolus; Alveolar macrophage

The high-output pathway of nitric oxide production helps protect mice from infection by several pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, based on studies cells cultured blood, it is controversial whether human mononuclear phagocytes can express the corresponding inducible synthase (iNOS;NOS2). present study examined alveolar macrophages fixed directly after bronchopulmonary lavage. An average 65% 11 patients with untreated, culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis reacted an antibody documented herein to be monospecific for NOS2. In contrast, a mean 10% bronchoalveolar lavage were positive each five clinically normal subjects. Tuberculosis patients' displayed diaphorase activity in same proportion that they stained NOS2, under assay conditions wherein reaction was strictly dependent NOS2 expression. Bronchoalveolar specimens also contained mRNA. Thus, lungs people active often catalytically competent