Reply to J. S. Torday

We welcome the opportunity to respond to the letter of Prof. J. S. Torday regarding our study in 2002; this confirms that the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) plays a biologically significant role in the glucocorticoid regulated fetal lung surfactant synthesis and lung maturation. We would like to thank Prof. Torday for his extensive Commentary summarizing the scientific development in this field, which began 30 years ago with his own and his collaborators studies. Prof. Torday’s enormous contribution to the contemporary knowledge of the cellular regulation of fetal lung development is the essential base of our own work.

Recently Suzuki et al. [1] [2] suggest that alveolar type II cells enhance intracellular glucocorticoid availability via 11β-HSD1 and increased expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 in the lungs of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Pepe et al. [3] immunocytochemically demonstrated that estrogen-deprivation in baboons did not alter fetal lung expression of the 11β-HSD1. Speiers et al. [4] and Thompson et al. [5] demonstrated for the first time the ontogeny of glucocorticoid receptor and 11β-HSD1 gene expression during development.

Although there has been a paucity of data published on human lung-tissue as yet, these studies confirm the role of 11β-HSD in the enzymatic regulation of mammalians fetal lung development.

References

• 1 Suzuki S, Tsubochi H, Ishibashi H, Suzuki T, Kondo T, Sasano H. Increased expression of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 in the lungs of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.  Pathol Int.. 2003;  53 751-756
• 2 Suzuki S, Tsubochi H, Darnel A, Suzuki T, Sasano H, Krozowski Z S, Kondo T. Expression of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in alveolar epithelial cells in rats.  Endocr J.. 2003;  50 445-451
• 3 Pepe G J, Ballard P L, Albrecht E D. Fetal lung maturation in estrogen-deprived baboons.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab.. 2003;  88 471-477
• 4 Speirs H J, Seckl J R, Brown R W. Ontogeny of glucocorticoid receptor and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type-1 gene expression identifies potential critical periods of glucocorticoid susceptibility during development.  J Endocrinol.. 2004;  181 105-116
• 5 Thompson A, Han V K, Yang K. Differential expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase types 1 and 2 mRNA and glucocorticoid receptor protein during mouse embryonic development.  J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol.. 2004;  88 367-375