Unifying thoracic biomarkers: surfactant protein-D and beyond

Expert Rev Respir Med. 2012 Apr;6(2):147-54. doi: 10.1586/ers.12.5.

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disorder that affects 300 million people worldwide and is responsible for 3 million deaths annually. Currently, there are no accepted biomarkers of COPD, which has impaired drug development and management of patients with COPD. Pneumoproteins, which are proteins synthesized predominantly in the lungs, are promising blood biomarkers because they have high specificity for lung disease. The most promising is surfactant protein-D, which is synthesized largely in Type 2 pneumocytes, and its blood concentrations have been associated with COPD and with certain clinical end points such as mortality. In this paper, we discuss surfactant protein-D and other pneumoproteins as promising biomarkers of COPD.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alveolar Epithelial Cells / metabolism
  • Biomarkers / blood*
  • Humans
  • Lung / metabolism*
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / blood*
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A / blood
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / blood*
  • Smoking / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D