Figure 4.

Immunohistochemical analyses of MMP-12 and ADAMDEC1 protein expression in pulmonary sarcoidosis. Immunohistochemical staining of frozen lung samples for CD68, MMP-12, elastin, and ADAMDEC1 from representative control subjects and patients with sarcoidosis. Granulomas labeled “G.” Comparison of anti-CD68 immunostaining with anti–MMP-12 showed colocalization within the granulomas of sarcoidosis tissues. Elastin staining was depleted in granulomas but was distributed uniformly throughout the lung tissue otherwise. Anti-ADAMDEC1 immunostaining was uniformly distributed at lower levels in control lungs but was expressed at high levels in tissue adjacent to granulomas in the lungs of patients with sarcoidosis.