Editorial Focus Surfactant protein D: not just for the lung anymore

arterial smooth muscle cells of the vessel wall express surfac-tant protein D (SP-D) and that the expression of SP-D attenu-ates the release of IL-8 stimulated by LPS and TNF-. Although most often associated with innate immune protection of the lung, the authors show clearly that arterial smooth muscle cells express SP-D and that SP-D increases the uptake of Chlamydia pneumoniae bodies while attenuating IL-8 expression. These data indicate that SP-D does not abandon its long-standing role in innate immunity simply because it is expressed by a differ-ent cell type. Rather, it seems to find ways to help the vasculature rid itself of a foreign antigen, a duty usually relegated to macrophages and dendritic cells. As IL-8 increases the recruitment of monocytes (4) and neutrophils (3), their data show how vascular smooth muscle cell expression of SP-D may play a role in protecting the vesse