Expression of Antimicrobial Peptides and Cytokines in Human Omentum Following Abdominal Surgery

Abstract

IntroductionOmentum can secrete out biological agents like different growth factors, cytokines, and antimicrobial peptides. The aim of our study was to determine the expression of antimicrobial peptides and cytokines in human omentum tissue and its response to intra-abdominal infection. MethodologyOmentum tissue was obtained from 60 patients: control (n=20) and cases (n=40). mRNA expression of antimicrobial peptides (LL-37, HBD-1, HBD-2, HNP1-3) and cytokines (TNFα, IL-8, IL-10, IL1β) was evaluated using Real-Time PCR. Protein quantification was done by Immunoblotting and ELISA. ResultsSignificantly higher expression of antimicrobial peptides (LL-37, HBD-1, HBD-2, HNP1-3) and cytokines (TNFα, IL-8, IL-10, IL1β) was observed in cases as compared to control at both the transcriptional and translational level (p<0.0001). ConclusionOmentum governs a population of antimicrobial peptides with potent immunologic functions. The expression of antimicrobial peptides and cytokines is inducible and increases with the severity of infection. Omentum is thus an immunologically active and adaptable organ but its complete regulatory mechanism is still elusive.

Human Neutrophil Alpha-Defensins Promote NETosis and Liver Injury in Alcohol-Related Liver Cirrhosis: Potential Therapeutic Agents

“…The concentrations of HNP1-3 were statistically significantly increased in patients with ALC with a MELD-Na score of >20 points ( p < 0.02) compared to patients with a MELD-Na score of ≤20 points. Moreover, our findings are in line with previous human data, suggesting increased expression of defensins in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, bronchiolitis, and psoriasis [ 34 ].…”

“…NET formation is activated through cytokines and chemokines [ 33 ]. Significantly higher expression of AMPs such as HNP1-3, LL-37, HBD-1, and HBD-2 is observed in many inflammatory processes [ 34 ]. Antimicrobial peptides can be distinguished into cathelicidins and defensins.…”

“…Among defensins, HNP1-3 belong to the alpha-defensin peptide family, while HBD-1 and HBD-2 belong to the beta-defensin peptide family [ 34 ]. Some mechanisms have been described to be involved in the expression of alpha-defensins, such as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) or nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) [ 35 ].…”