A novel application for Cocoacrisp protein as a biomarker for experimental pulmonary fibrosis

Abstract

Pulmonary fibrosis is a debilitating disease affecting up to 2 million people worldwide, with a median survival rate of only 3 years after diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate a potential protein biomarker (Cocoacrisp, CC) to identify the onset of pulmonary fibrosis. A model of fibrosis was induced via intratracheal instillation of bleomycin, and samples were collected during the early phase of the disease. Immunohistochemical identification of CC was carried out in lung tissue from the bleomycin model. Quantification by image analysis showed CC levels were doubled (p <0.0003), after a single bleomycin dose, but not after double instillation. Microscopic analysis revealed that CC signal was primarily detected on the alveolar surface. The secretion of the novel protein CC during the early stages of bleomycin-induced injury may have the potential to be utilized as a clinical biomarker for the early stages of fibrosis, particularly as it may be detectable in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Keywords::

• Cocoacrisp
• bleomycin
• pulmonary toxicity
• oedema
• secreted protein

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Ilyas Kahn for donating the Cocoacrisp antibody which made this study possible. Thanks also to AstraZeneca for funding this research.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.