Abstract
Cathelicidin is an antimicrobial peptide whose circulating levels are related to vitamin D status in adults. This study sought to determine if circulating cathelicidin concentrations in healthy children are related to the age of the child, body composition and vitamin D status at birth and at the time of the study visit. Blood samples were obtained during yearly visits from 133 children, ages 2–7, whose mothers had participated in a pregnancy vitamin D supplementation RCT. Radioimmunoassay and ELISA were performed to analyze 25(OH)D and cathelicidin, respectively. Statistical analyses compared cathelicidin concentrations with concentrations of 25(OH)D at various time points (maternal levels throughout pregnancy, at birth, and child’s current level); and with race/ethnicity, age, gender, BMI, percent fat, and frequency of infections using Student’s t-test, χ2, Wilcoxon ranked-sum analysis, and multivariate regression. The cohort’s median cathelicidin concentration was 28.1 ng/mL (range: 5.6–3368.6) and did not correlate with 25(OH)D, but was positively correlated with advancing age (ρ = 0.236 & p = 0.005, respectively). Forty patients evaluated at two visits showed an increase of 24.0 ng/mL in cathelicidin from the first visit to the next (p<0.0001). Increased age and male gender were correlated with increased cathelicidin when controlling for race/ethnicity, percent fat, and child’s current 25(OH)D concentration (p = 0.028 & p = 0.047, respectively). This study demonstrated that as children age, the concentration of cathelicidin increases. Furthermore, male gender was significantly associated with increased cathelicidin concentrations. The lack of association between vitamin D status and cathelicidin in this study may be due to the narrow range in observed 25(OH)D values and warrants additional studies for further observation.
Highlights
Cathelicidin (Human LL-37), activated by n-terminal cleavage of the propeptide hCAP18, serves as a cytokine in the immune system as well as an antimicrobial peptide with its ability to form an α-helix in aqueous solution that disrupts the lipid membranes of invading organisms and results in their destruction [1,2,3,4]
While one study examined the levels of maternal and neonatal vitamin D and cathelicidin concentrations in healthy children at delivery, there is a lack of research to determine correlations between vitamin D status and cathelicidin among healthy children over time [20], as well as which factors such as age of the child, gender, and body composition may independently impact cathelicidin concentrations
While 194 children had participated in the follow-up study (55% of the original cohort participating in the vitamin D pregnancy study), 133 (38%) had a blood sample obtained at the time of the study visit and were able to have cathelicidin measured
Summary
Cathelicidin (Human LL-37), activated by n-terminal cleavage of the propeptide hCAP18, serves as a cytokine in the immune system as well as an antimicrobial peptide with its ability to form an α-helix in aqueous solution that disrupts the lipid membranes of invading organisms and results in their destruction [1,2,3,4]. While one study examined the levels of maternal and neonatal vitamin D and cathelicidin concentrations in healthy children at delivery, there is a lack of research to determine correlations between vitamin D status and cathelicidin among healthy children over time [20], as well as which factors such as age of the child, gender, and body composition may independently impact cathelicidin concentrations To address this gap in the literature, the aim of this follow-up study was to determine if maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and/or a child’s current vitamin D status affect the circulating concentration of cathelicidin in healthy children years after delivery.
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