Fig. 4
Correlations between A Disintegrin and A Metalloproteinase Domain 15 (ADAM15-positively stained) alveolar macrophages (AMs), CD8+ T cells, bronchial epithelial cells, alveolar epithelial cells, or α-SMC-positive airway cells in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung function parameters. Lung sections from 30 patients with COPD (4 were GOLD stage I, 10 were GOLD stage II, 4 were GOLD stage III, and 13 were GOLD stage IV), 9 smokers, and 10 non-smokers were double immunostained for ADAM15 and markers of macrophages (CD68), CD8+ T cells (CD8), α-smooth muscle actin; α-SMC (a marker of myofibroblasts), bronchial epithelial cells (pancytokeratin) and alveolar epithelial cells (pancytokeratin). The percentage of ADAM15-positively stained macrophages, CD8+ T cells, and the number of ADAM15-positively stained α-SMC-positive airway cells, bronchial epithelial cells or alveolar epithelial cells per unit area of airway wall, bronchial epithelial area, or alveolar wall area, respectively for each subject (on the y-axis) was quantified (as described in the legend to Fig. 3) and plotted against the subject’s FEV1 or FEV1/FVC values (on the x-axis). Correlations between the percentage of ADAM15-positively stained AMs and FEV1 percent predicted or FEV1/FVC percent predicted are shown in a and b, respectively. Correlations between the percentage of ADAM15-positively stained CD8+ T cells and FEV1 percent predicted and FEV1/FVC percent predicted are shown in c and d, respectively. Correlations between the number of ADAM15-positively stained bronchial epithelial cells per unit area of bronchial epithelium and FEV1 percent predicted and FEV1/FVC percent predicted are shown in e and f, respectively. g shows the correlation between the number of ADAM15-positively stained α-SMC-positive airway cells per unit area of airway wall and FEV1/FVC percent predicted. All data were analyzed using the Spearman Correlation test; n = 49 subjects in each sub-figure. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant