Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1979 Aug;34(4):512–517. doi: 10.1136/thx.34.4.512

Bronchorrhoea--separation of mucus and serum components in sol and gel phases.

M T Lopez-Vidriero, I Das, L Reid
PMCID: PMC471107  PMID: 116383

Abstract

Bronchorrhoea sputum separates into two phases--sol and gel--at low speed centrifugation (5000 g), although higher speed (160 000 g) is required to obtain complete separation. Markers of mucus glycoprotein and serum transudate have been estimated in sputum, sol, and gel in five cases of bronchorrhoea associated with chronic bronchitis, asthma, or alveolar cell carcinoma. In all samples markers of both mucus glycoprotein and serum component were present in each phase. The concentration of serum markers was similar in both phases suggesting that it is to the serum that mucus glycoprotein is added. Since the volume of sol is greater, the total of serum components is higher in the sol than in the gel although, in total, a considerable amount was present in the gel. The fucose/sulphate ratio suggests that the glycoprotein in the sol is relatively more sulphated than is that of the gel, indicating that they may represent secretion from different cell types. The pattern of separation of two serum markers, IgA and transferrin, is different from that of albumin. Whether this is because they are locally produced or because they are selectively bound to mucus glycoprotein in the gel is not clear.

Full text

PDF
512

Selected References

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

  1. Brogan T. D., Ryley H. C., Allen L., Hutt H. Relation between sputum sol phase composition and diagnosis in chronic chest diseases. Thorax. 1971 Jul;26(4):418–423. doi: 10.1136/thx.26.4.418. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brogan T. D., Ryley H. C., Neale L., Yassa J. Soluble proteins of bronchopulmonary secretions from patients with cystic fibrosis, asthma, and bronchitis. Thorax. 1975 Feb;30(1):72–79. doi: 10.1136/thx.30.1.72. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Calin A. Bronchorrhoea. Br Med J. 1972 Nov 4;4(5835):274–275. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5835.274. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GERNEZ-RIEUX C., BISERTE G., HAVEZ R., VOISIN C., CUVELIER R., ROUSSEL P. INT'ER ET DE L''ETUDE BIOCHIMIQUE DES PROT'EINES DE L'EXPECTORATION DANS LE CANCER BRONCHIOLO-ALV'EOLAIRE. J Fr Med Chir Thorac. 1963 Oct-Dec;17:799–811. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KENNAMER R. Pulmonary adenomatosis; report of a case. J Am Med Assoc. 1951 Mar 17;145(11):815–818. doi: 10.1001/jama.1951.72920290005008b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Keal E. E. Biochemistry and rheology of sputum in asthma. Postgrad Med J. 1971 Mar;47(545):171–177. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.47.545.171. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lamb D., Reid L. Histochemical types of acidic glycoprotein produced by mucous cells of the tracheobronchial glands in man. J Pathol. 1969 Aug;98(4):213–229. doi: 10.1002/path.1710980402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lopez-Vidriero M. T., Charman J., Keal E., De Silva D. J., Reid L. Sputum viscosity: correlation with chemical and clinical features in chronic bronchitis. Thorax. 1973 Jul;28(4):401–408. doi: 10.1136/thx.28.4.401. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lopez-Vidriero M. T., Das I., Smith A. P., Picot R., Reid L. Bronchial secretion from normal human airways after inhalation of prostaglandin F2alpha, acetylcholine, histamine, and citric acid. Thorax. 1977 Dec;32(6):734–739. doi: 10.1136/thx.32.6.734. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lopez-Vidriero M. T., Reid L. Chemical markers of mucous and serum glycoproteins and their relation to viscosity in mucoid and purulent sputum from various hypersecretory diseases. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1978 Mar;117(3):465–477. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1978.117.3.465. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lopez-Vidriero M., Charman J., Keal E., Reid L. Bronchorrhoea. Thorax. 1975 Dec;30(6):624–630. doi: 10.1136/thx.30.6.624. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mancini G., Carbonara A. O., Heremans J. F. Immunochemical quantitation of antigens by single radial immunodiffusion. Immunochemistry. 1965 Sep;2(3):235–254. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(65)90004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Meyrick B., Reid L. Ultrastructure of cells in the human bronchial submucosal glands. J Anat. 1970 Sep;107(Pt 2):281–299. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Roberts G. P. Isolation and characterisation of glycoproteins from sputum. Eur J Biochem. 1974 Dec 16;50(1):265–280. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1974.tb03895.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ryler H. C. An immunoelectrophoretic study of the soluble secretory proteins of sputum. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1972 Jul 21;271(2):300–309. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ryley H. C. An electrophoretic study of the sol phase of sputum. J Lab Clin Med. 1970 Mar;75(3):382–390. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ryley H. C., Brogan T. D. Quantitative immunoelectrophoretic analysis of the plasma proteins in the sol phase of sputum from patients with chronic bronchitis. J Clin Pathol. 1973 Nov;26(11):852–856. doi: 10.1136/jcp.26.11.852. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ryley H. C., Brogan T. D. Variation in the composition of sputum in chronic chest diseases. Br J Exp Pathol. 1968 Dec;49(6):625–633. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. SCHOOLS G. S., RAY E. S. Bronchiolar carcinoma. A case report of bronchoscopic observation of servere bronchorrhea. Dis Chest. 1961 Jun;39:643–645. doi: 10.1378/chest.39.6.643. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. STOREY C. F., KNUDTSON K. P., LAWRENCE B. J. Bronchiolar (alveolar cell) carcinoma of the lung. J Thorac Surg. 1953 Oct;26(4):331–406. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Spiro S. G., Lopez-Vidriero M-T, Charman J., Das I., Reid L. Bronchorrhoea in a case of alveolar cell carcinoma. J Clin Pathol. 1975 Jan;28(1):60–65. doi: 10.1136/jcp.28.1.60. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. WARREN L. The thiobarbituric acid assay of sialic acids. J Biol Chem. 1959 Aug;234(8):1971–1975. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES