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. 1983 Mar;38(3):180–183. doi: 10.1136/thx.38.3.180

Localisation of a low-molecular-weight bronchial protease inhibitor in the peripheral human lung.

H W Mooren, J A Kramps, C Franken, C J Meijer, J A Dijkman
PMCID: PMC459515  PMID: 6857581

Abstract

The localisation of a low-molecular-weight bronchial protease inhibitor (LMI) in human peripheral lung tissue was studied by an immunohistochemical method. This inhibitor was found exclusively in a part of the non-ciliated cell population of the bronchiolar epithelium. An inverse relationship was observed between the number of LMI-positive non-ciliated cells per millimetre of basement membrane and the bronchiolar diameter. These findings may have a bearing on the protease-antiprotease theory of the development of pulmonary emphysema, LMI possibly playing a part in the protection of peripheral lung tissue against proteolytic destruction by enzymes liberated from granulocytes or migrating alveolar macrophages.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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