Expression of the Bax proapoptotic factor in asthmatic patients

Abstract

Constantin Cristian Grigoras¹, Adriana Grigoras², Traian Mihaescu², Alina Floarea-Strat³, Laurette Cozma⁴, Liliana Veres²

¹Spitalul Clinic de Pneumologie Iasi, Ambulatoriul de specialitate

²Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie "Gr. T. Popa" Iasi

³Laboratorul de Anatomie Patologica, Spitalul Clinic de Boli Infectioase Iasi

⁴Laboratorul de Imunologie, Policlinica nr. 1, Iasi

Contact: Constantin Cristian Grigoras, c_grigoras@hotmail.com, Spitalul Clinic Pneumologie, Ambulatoriul de Specialitate, Str. Dr. I. Cihac, nr. 30, 700115, Iasi, Romania

ABSTRACT

The alteration in the expression of the factors involved in the apoptotic mechanism of the respiratory cell epithelium of asthma patients remains an unsolved issue. The mitochondria holds a very important place in the apoptotic chain, making therefore the study of the proteins belonging to the Bcl-2 family that ,,controls'' permeability of mitochondria's membrane extremely interesting, both for asthma as for other diseases. Our main concern in this study was to reveal the changes in expression of Bax factor at the level of the respiratory epithelium in asthma patients. We examined a number of 21 patients with different degrees of asthma. The tissue samples were accordingly processed for imunotyping with anti-Bax antibodies. Following microscopic examination we have found, even in mild cases of asthma, a decreased expression of Bax factor at the epithelial level, compared with the witness. The discovery of all these factors involved in cell apoptosis as well as their alteration in asthma will be the future of therapeutic approach in these patients.

Key words: asthma, apoptosis, Bax, mucus hypersecretion, respiratory epithelium

The expression of the BAX proapoptotic factor in asthma