Abstract
We evaluated the role of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in patients with various acute and chronic inflammatory lung diseases and sepsis with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Initially, in patients with acute lung injury, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and inhalation injury, IL-8 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were significantly elevated. With regard to latter patients, the BALF IL-8 levels well correlated with the degree of successive respiratory dysfunction. Secondly, among patients with chronic inflammatory lung diseases, BALF IL-8 levels were significantly elevated in patients with acutely exacerbating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), hypersensitivity pneumonitis and chronic lower respiratory tract infection. Furthermore, in IPF patients, alveolar macrophages produced significantly larger volume of IL-8 in response to endotoxin, which may be one of the key mechanisms of acute exacerbation in IPF. Finally, in septic patients, the higher serum IL-8 levels were associated with the complication of DIC, renal failure and central nervous system dysfunction, indicating the possible involvement of IL-8 in these conditions.
These results strongly support our hypothesis that IL-8 plays a prominent role in above diseases or conditions and thus could become a good target for anti-mediator therapy.
