[Effects of calcium blockers and calmodulin inhibitors on the proliferation of fibroblast in alveolar macrophage condition medium].

Alveolar macrophages (AM phi) play a key role in the process of fibrosis in many lung diseases. We investigated the effects of AM phi on the proliferation of fibroblast(FB) in various lung diseases and the influence of calcium and CaM inhibitors on those effects. AM phi conditioned media were prepared from 17 patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and 13 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma (BC). In ILD group, conditioned media have stimulating effect on the proliferation of FB (P < 0.05), this effect was inhibited markedly by calcium channel blocker verapamil (2.5 x 10(-2)mg/ml, 2.5 x 10(-4)mg/ml), diltiazem (5 x 10(-2)mg/ml) and partially by CaM inhibitor chlorpromazine (2.5 x 10(-4)mg/ml). Whereas in BC group, only conditioned media from AM phi in the presence of stimulant have marked stimulating effect on the proliferation of FB, and this effect was markedly inhibited both by Ca++ channel blocker verapamil (2.5 x 10(-4)mg/ml), diltiazem (5 x 10(-4)mg/ml) and CaM inhibitor chlorpromazine (1.25 x 10(-2)mg/ml, 2.5 x 10(-4)mg/ml). We conclude that AM phi are activated in patients with ILD, but not in those with BC. The stimulating effect of cytokines secreted by activated AM phi can be inhibited by Ca blocker and CaM inhibitor. Using Ca++ and CaM blockers may be a new and promising approach in the treatment of ILD.