Background: Farmers may be often exposed to β-D-glucan in moldy hay, since straw for feed can be stored throughout the year. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to clarify whether levels of β-D-glucan, which modifies immune responses, are high in the respiratory tract in farmer’s lung and whether β-D-glucan participates in the pathogenesis of this condition. Methods: We measured β-D-glucan levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 10 patients with farmer’s lung, 4 with summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) and 10 healthy volunteers. Interleukin (IL)-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels in BALF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We investigated the effects of β-D-glucan on nuclear factor (NF)-ĸB activation and on the release of IL-8 and TNF-α from small airway epithelial cells (SAECs) in vitro. Results: β-D-Glucan levels in the BALF of farmer’s lung patients were increased compared to those in patients with summer-type HP and in healthy volunteers. Additionally, IL-8 levels in BALF were higher in farmer’s lung than in summer-type HP, and TNF-α levels were equal in the two patient groups but raised compared to those in healthy volunteers. High, but not low, concentrations of β-D-glucan were found to induce NF-ĸB activation in SAECs. IL-8 levels in the supernatant obtained from SAEC cultures were increased following the addition of β-D-glucan in vitro. Conclusion: BALF from farmer’s lung patients showed high β-D-glucan levels, which may enhance the expression and release of cytokines through NF-ĸB activation in respiratory epithelial cells.

Keywords:
Farmer’s lung, β-D-Glucan, Hypersensitivity pneumonitis, Interleukin-8, NF-ĸB
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2007
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