The Expression of NOX4 in Smooth Muscles of Small Airway Correlates with the Disease Severity of COPD

Table 2

Comparisons of ASM mass and the abundance of NOX4 and TGF- proteins between smokers and nonsmokers (mean ± SD).

			SMA-WT%	SMA-WA%	NOX4 (A.U)	Epithelial TGF- (AU)	ASM TGF- (AU)
Non-	Never smokers	11
	Smokers	8
			0.129	1.956	0.097	0.034	0.028
			−0.731	−0.687	0.314	1.817	−0.343
			0.475	0.502	0.757	0.087	0.736
	Never smokers	12
	Current smokers	15
	Ex-smokers	9
			0.176	0.158	0.79	1.07	0.464
			0.839	0.854	0.462	0.354	0.633
	Never smokers	12
	Smokers	24
			0.003	0.051	0.737	3.308	1.101
			−0.132	−0.173	1.091	0.993	0.099
			0.896	0.863	0.283	0.328	0.992

Data was presented as mean ± SD. value is the homogeneity of variance between two groups. values were given as never smoker versus smoker groups. Since there was only one ex-smoker in non-COPD group, the ex-smoker and current smokers were included in one smoker group; COPD patients were grouped in never smokers, ex-smokers, and current smokers for analysis; COPD subjects were grouped in never smokers and smokers (ex-smoker and current smoker) for analysis.