Neuroendocrine cells in anthracosilicotic lungs.

In normal human lungs, neuroendocrine (NE) cells can be found as solitary NE cells and in corpuscular aggregates, the neuroepithelial bodies. By means of a quantitative morphometric method, we compared the number and distribution of chromogranin-reactive NE cells in anthracosilicotic and control lungs. After death, 14 pairs of control and 12 pairs of anthracosilicotic lungs were sampled. The extents of anthracosilicosis and emphysema were described for the right lung. The left upper lobe was used for quantitative determination of the number and distribution of NE cells, visualized by immunohistochemical staining for chromogranin. In contrast to expectations, we found no statistical difference in the numbers of chromogranin-reactive NE cells per 10 cm of epithelium between control (11.0) and anthracosilicotic (2.4) lungs. In both groups, there was a much greater number of chromogranin-reactive cells in the more peripheral compared to the central airways. Most peripheral NE cells were arranged in neuroepithelial bodies, which were not found in the central airways.