The concentration of hCAP-18/LL-37 and hBD-2 in cystic fibrosis patients

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> There is evidence suggesting the existence local inflammation in the lungs prior to bacterial infection in cystic fibrosis (CF). The study was aimed to assess the relationship between the concentrations of hBD-2 and hCAP/LL-37 in sputum with bacterial colonization of lungs. <b>Material and methods:</b> Among 24 children with CF enrolled in the study, eight were diagnosed with chronic infection Pseudomonas aeruginosa. There were 10 previously health children with mild community-acquired pneumonia. Their sputum was collected by spontaneous expectoration. MacConkey agar was used for isolation of P. aeruginosa. The levels of hBD-2 and hCAP/LL-37 were measured using commercial test kits (Elabscience, USA), ELISA. The Microsoft Office Excel was used for statistical data processing; all levels of significance were set at p&lt;.05. <b>Results:</b> There were 14 samples of the sputum. Mucosal antimicrobial peptides hBD-2 and LL-37 were present in the sputum of all children with CF. The median concentration of the hBD-2 was 236.47 (156.86; 669.21) μg/ml. The median concentration of LL-37 was 6.28 (4.02; 7.02) pg/ml. The concentration of LL-37 was increasing with elevated relative neutrophiles count in children with CF, rs = 0.57, p = 0.008. The increased levels of hBD-2 were associated with the presence of P. aeruginosa, rs = - 0.44, p = 0.043. There was a correlation between concentrations of hBD-2 and LL-37, rs = 0.515, p = 0.029. The concentration of hBD-2 in children with CF was lower than in previously healthy – 0.89 (0.83; 0.92), p = 0.012. <b>Conclusions:</b> The levels of mucosal peptides correlated with cellular markers of inflammation in sputum and microbiological profile of the airways.