RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Identification of hBD-3 in respiratory tract and serum: the increase in pneumonia
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 253
OP 260
DO 10.1183/09031936.06.00105904
VO 27
IS 2
A1 H. Ishimoto
A1 H. Mukae
A1 Y. Date
A1 T. Shimbara
A1 M. S. Mondal
A1 J. Ashitani
A1 T. Hiratsuka
A1 S. Kubo
A1 S. Kohno
A1 M. Nakazato
YR 2006
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/27/2/253.abstract
AB Human β-defensin (hBD)-3, a 45 amino acid antimicrobial peptide, was originally isolated from human skin. hBD-3 mRNA has also been detected in the airways by RT-PCR. While hBD-3 may be involved in antimicrobial defences within the respiratory tract, the presence of hBD-3 peptide in the respiratory system has not yet been confirmed. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesised hBD-3 peptide was measured by a radial diffusion assay and a colony count assay. The present authors confirmed the presence of hBD-3 peptide in homogenates of human lung and serum using reverse-phase HPLC coupled with a highly sensitive RIA. The localisation of the hBD-3 peptide was investigated by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the serum concentrations of hBD-3 were measured by RIA. hBD-3 exhibited a strong antimicrobial activity, which was unaffected by increasing salt concentrations. Immunohistochemically, the current authors observed the expression of hBD-3 in bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells. The mean±sd serum concentration of hBD-3 in patients with bacterial pneumonia was 239.4±17.8 pg·mL−1 in the acute phase and, decreased to 159.3±20.1 pg·mL−1 after the completion of therapy. In conclusion, these findings will help elucidate the role of human β-defensin-3 in host immune responses and identify the pathophysiological significance of this molecule in respiratory infections.