Abstract:

Objective To investigate the roles of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor （GM-CSF）and myeloperoxidase （MPO） in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid（BALF）among asthmatic children. Methods A total of 29 asthmatic children and 25 controls were enrolled. By microscopy,the percentage of neutrophil（NEU）was determined. The levels of GM-CSF and MPO were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The levels of GM-CSF in BALF were （164.8±34.0） ng/L in attack stage group,（129.5±30.4） ng/L in remission stage group and（123.0±25.7）ng/L in control group. The levels of MPO were （25.1±9.7）,（15.5±4.4）and（13.8±3.5）ng/L in the 3 groups,respectively. The percentages of NEU were （35.1±7.6）%,（26.3±6.2）% and（23.8±5.5）% in the 3 groups,respectively. The levels of GM-CSF and MPO in BALF and the percentages of NEU were higher in attack stage group than those in remission stage and control groups（P<0.01）,but there was no statistical significance between remission stage and control groups （P>0.05）. GM-CSF level was correlated positively with MPO level and the percentage of NEU（r = 0.665 and 0.504,P<0.01）,and the percentage of NEU was correlated positively with MPO level（r = 0.669,P<0.01）in attack stage group. Conclusions Both GM-CSF and MPO levels increase among asthmatic children,and they might be involved in the pathological process of asthma. GM-CSF and MPO in BALF may be indices for evaluating and monitoring the status of children with asthma.

Key words: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, Myeloperoxidase, Neutrophil percentage, Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, Asthma, Children