title: Sustained activation of neutrophils in the course of Kawasaki disease: an association with matrix metalloproteinases.
abstract: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile syndrome of childhood, characterized by vasculitis of the medium-sized arteries. White blood cell counts and the inflammatory parameter C-reactive protein (CRP) are known to be elevated in the acute phase of the disease. In this study we investigated the course of inflammatory cell type-specific parameters in KD over a longer period of time. Plasma levels of human neutrophil elastase (HNE), matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 (MMP2, MMP9), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), macrophage neopterin and CRP were measured. Plasma samples were collected in the acute, subacute and early convalescent stage, and three months after the onset of disease. Median CRP and neopterin normalized within two weeks. In contrast, six weeks and three months after onset of disease, levels of HNE were still elevated, with median values of 163 ng/ml and 156 ng/ml, respectively (control children median < 50 ng/ml; for all time-points P < 0.0001). Values of NGAL correlated with the levels of HNE (r = 0.39, P = 0.013). These results demonstrate a longer state of neutrophil activation in KD than was previously assumed. The potential relationship between this prolonged neutrophil activation, coronary artery lesion formation and their persistence, as well as the risk of premature atherosclerosis warrants further evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Emma Children's Hospital, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.h.biezeveld@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Biezeveld
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Mierlo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lutter
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kuipers
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Hack
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Newburger
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kuijpers
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase / Q000097:blood; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins; D008297:Male; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000097:blood*; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood; D018375:Neutrophil Activation; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000097:blood; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin
chemical_list: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; C489506:LCN2 protein, human; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin; C037741:alpha 1-antitrypsin-leukocyte elastase complex; D019798:Neopterin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases