Expression of human beta-defensins in children with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
BACKGROUND
Human beta-defensins (hBDs) are antimicrobial peptides known to play a major role in intestinal innate host defence. Altered mucosal expression of hBDs has been suggested to be implicated in chronic inflammatory bowel disease pathogenesis. However, little is known about expression of these peptides in children.


METHODS
Intestinal biopsies were obtained from the duodenum (n = 88), terminal ileum (n = 90) and ascending colon (n = 105) of children with Crohn's disease (n = 26), ulcerative colitis (n = 11) and healthy controls (n = 16). Quantitative real-time (RT) PCR was performed and absolute mRNA copy numbers analyzed for hBD1-3 as well as inflammatory cytokines IL-8 and TNF-alpha.


RESULTS
Significant induction of hBD2 and hBD3 was observed in the inflamed terminal ileum and ascending colon of IBD children. In the ascending colon induction of hBD2 was found to be significantly lower in children with Crohn's disease compared to ulcerative colitis. A strong correlation was found between inducible defensins hBD2 and 3 and the inflammatory cytokines IL-8 and TNF-alpha, both in the terminal ileum and ascending colon.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrates distinct changes in hBD expression throughout the intestinal tract of children with IBD, lending further support for their potential role in disease pathogenesis.
Department of Paediatrics, HELIOS Klinikum Wuppertal, Germany. mz304@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Matthias
M
Zilbauer
Andreas
A
Jenke
Gundula
G
Wenzel
Jan
J
Postberg
Andreas
A
Heusch
Alan D
AD
Phillips
Gabriele
G
Noble-Jamieson
Franco
F
Torrente
Camilla
C
Salvestrini
Robert
R
Heuschkel
Stefan
S
Wirth
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D023083:beta-Defensins / Q000378:metabolism*
D016207:Cytokines; D023083:beta-Defensins