Proteomics of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and sputum

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and sputum, obtained through more or less noninvasive techniques, contain cells and many soluble compounds from respiratory tract secretions and are, therefore, important sources for the study of the lung and its pathologies. The protein composition of these physiological fluids faithfully reflects cellular and molecular changes induced by lung disorders and are, to date, best investigated by proteome analysis. This powerful experimental approach using differential-display proteomics allows not only the molecular characterization of the BALF and sputum proteomes, but also definition of changes in the proteomes correlated specifically to different pathophysiological states. They have been successfully applied to the study of interstitial lung diseases and allergic asthma. The increasing success of BALF and sputum proteome analysis is essentially owing to recent progress in sample preparation and the fast development of leading-edge and high-throughput biotechnologies like 2D gel electrophoresis, multidimensional liquid chromatography, and biochips coupled to mass spectrometry. They offer the unique opportunity to explore the molecular mechanisms of lung diseases and to define new specific biomarkers for early diagnosis, prevention, and optimal therapy of lung injury.SCOPUS: ch.b