Pentraxin-3 in COPD: innocent bystander or amplifier?

In this issue of the European Respiratory Journal , Van Pottelberge et al. [1] report on the association between interstitial levels of the long pentraxin, PTX3, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD remains a formidable challenge in terms of identifying prognostic markers and innovative therapeutic approaches. COPD is characterised by worsening lung function sustained by an unrestrained nonresolving inflammatory response. There is a need for innovative prognostic markers relevant to disease progression and its complications [2]. In this report, Van Pottelberge et al. [1] found that lower levels of PTX3 in the lung interstitium of COPD patients were associated with airway obstruction as assessed by forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). The different levels of PTX3 were not a reflection of different amounts of PTX3 mRNA transcripts, as assessed in whole tissue extracts. Sputum levels were uninformative. Unlike C-reactive protein (CRP), PTX3 levels did not increase in COPD, but a correlation between …