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Quantification of neutrophil migration into the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To quantify neutrophil migration into the lungs of patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD).

Methods

Neutrophil loss via airways was assessed by dedicated whole-body counting 45 min, 24 h and 2, 4, 7 and 10 days after injection of very small activities of 111In-labelled neutrophils in 12 healthy nonsmokers, 5 healthy smokers, 16 patients with COPD (of whom 7 were ex-smokers) and 10 patients with bronchiectasis. Lung accumulation of 99mTc-labelled neutrophils was assessed by sequential SPECT and Patlak analysis in six COPD patients and three healthy nonsmoking subjects.

Results

Whole body 111In counts, expressed as percentages of 24 h counts, decreased in all subjects. Losses at 7 days (mean ± SD) were similar in healthy nonsmoking subjects (5.5 ± 1.5%), smoking subjects (6.5 ± 4.4%) and ex-smoking COPD patients (5.8 ± 1.5%). In contrast, currently smoking COPD patients showed higher losses (8.0 ± 3.0%) than healthy nonsmokers (p = 0.03). Two bronchiectatic patients lost 25% and 26%, indicating active disease; mean loss in the remaining eight was 6.9 ± 2.5%. The rate of accumulation of 99mTc-neutrophils in the lungs, determined by sequential SPECT, was increased in COPD patients (0.030–0.073 min−1) compared with healthy nonsmokers (0–0.002 min−1; p = 0.02).

Conclusion

In patients with COPD, sequential SPECT showed increased lung accumulation of 99mTc-labelled neutrophils, while whole-body counting demonstrated subsequent higher losses of 111In-labelled neutrophils in patients who continued to smoke. Sequential SPECT as a means of quantifying neutrophil migration deserves further evaluation.

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Acknowledgments

Funding was provided by a noncommercial grant from AstraZeneca R&D, Charnwood, UK, Papworth Hospital R&D and the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. We are grateful to the technicians within the Nuclear Medicine Department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, CUHNHSFT, Cambridge, for their assistance with this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK

    Prina Ruparelia, Charlotte Summers & Edwin R. Chilvers

  2. Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK

    Katherine R. Szczepura & A. Michael Peters

  3. Nuclear Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK

    Chandra K. Solanki & Kottekkattu Balan

  4. AstraZeneca R&D Charnwood, Loughborough, UK

    Paul Newbold

  5. Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Defence Unit, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Papworth Everard, UK

    Diana Bilton

  6. Brighton Sussex Medical School, Audrey Emerton Building, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE, UK

    A. Michael Peters

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  1. Prina Ruparelia
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  2. Katherine R. Szczepura
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  3. Charlotte Summers
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Correspondence to A. Michael Peters.

Additional information

A. Michael Peters and Edwin R. Chilvers made an equal contribution to this work.

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Ruparelia, P., Szczepura, K.R., Summers, C. et al. Quantification of neutrophil migration into the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 38, 911–919 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-010-1715-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-010-1715-7

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