Preliminary Study of Expression of KL-6, FGF-10 and MMP-9 in the Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Objective: Pathogenesis of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is unclear and has been rarely reported in the literature. Thus, we measured expression of Krebs Vonden Lungen-6 (KL-6), fibroblast growth factor-10 (FGF-10), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in PSP samples and evaluated their significance on the development and progress of the disease. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining and ELISA were used to measure expression of KL-6, FGF-10, and MMP-9 in the pulmonary bullae and the peripheral normal lung tissue in 24 cases of PSP. Statistical results were analyzed using the Student’s paired t-test. Results: Immunohistochemical data revealed that KL-6 and FGF10 expression in the pulmonary bullae was significantly higher than in peripheral normal lung tissue, but MMP-9 expression did not differ. ELISA confirmed that KL-6 and FGF-10 expression in the pulmonary bullae was significantly higher than the peripheral normal lung tissue (P 0.05). Conclusion: Expression of KL-6 and FGF-10 in pulmonary bullae of PSP patients was significantly higher than in the peripheral normal lung tissue, suggesting that KL-6-mediated pulmonary fibrosis and abnormal FGF-10 expression-induced congenital abnormalities in development of bronchi may be associated with PSP. MMP-9 was not different in both groups, suggesting that further correlation between MMP-9-mediated inflammation and PSP remains unclear.