Decreased circulating elastin peptide levels in humans with sepsis.
OBJECTIVE
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening medical condition induced by viral, bacterial or fungal infection, which is characterized by systemic inflammation, hypotension and vasodilation that can lead to cardiovascular collapse. Increased activity of elastases, enzymes which degrade the extracellular matrix components including elastin, has been demonstrated in plasma of septic patients. Since elastin peptides (EP), by binding to an elastin-laminin receptor on vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, induce dose-dependent vasodilation, we hypothesized that elevated circulating EP could contribute to the vasodilation that occurs in septic patients.


METHODS
Blood for measurement of EP was collected from not-septic and septic patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), as well as from healthy subjects. Plasma EP concentrations were measured using a competitive ELISA technique.


RESULTS
The plasma EP level in the septic patients was approximately half that of the not-septic patients and the healthy controls, with similar EP levels in the latter two groups. There was no apparent association between EP levels and age or gender in any of the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma EP levels were actually decreased in septic patients, possibly indicating that the balance between EP production vs. elimination favors elimination. This result further suggests that circulating EP may not be important in the development of the vasodilation and hypotension that occurs in septic shock. Alternatively, however, increased degradation of EP by elastase or other enzymes could lead to the appearance of biologically active EP, which may not be recognized by the ELISA assay.
Faury
Gilles
G
Laboratoire de Développement et Vieillissement de l'Endothelium, Université Joseph Fourier-Inserm EMI 0219-CEA, Grenoble, France. gilles.faury@ujf-grenoble.fr
Wynnychenko
Theodore M
TM
Cand
Francine
F
Leone
Marc
M
Jacob
Marie-Paule
MP
Verdetti
Jean
J
Boyle
Walter A
WA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood; D004549:Elastin / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood*
D010446:Peptide Fragments; D004549:Elastin