Proteomic analysis of antioxidant proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage of patients with pulmonary Langerhans-cell histiocytosis

Pulmonary Langerhans-cell histiocytosis (PLCH) is a tabacco smoke-related diffuse lung disease of unknown etiopathogenesis. Oxidative-mediated lung injury has been documented in patients with PLCH. In this study we analyzed by 2-dimensional electrophoresis, BAL protein expression of antioxidant proteins in a group of patients with PLCH, a group of healthy smokers and a group of no-smoker controls in order to better understand the potential role of oxidant/antioxidant balance in the disease pathogenesis. Among the differentially expressed proteins identified by us, the proteins implicated in the antioxidant defense where thioredoxin (THIO), ALBU, ceruloplasmin (CERU) and glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3). THIO was a protein identified from a spot down-regulated in PLCH versus smoker controls (p