title: Expression of innate defense antimicrobial peptides in hidradenitis suppurativa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of apocrine gland-bearing skin. It is associated with alterations in innate immunity and frequent bacterial infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the expression of innate defense antimicrobial peptides in patients with HS and different grades of severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Skin biopsy specimens and sweat were collected from 36 patients with HS and 57 healthy control subjects for analysis of epithelial antimicrobial peptides by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We provide evidence that human β-defensin-3 expression is induced in lesional HS skin on transcriptional and protein levels, yet, this up-regulation was not detectable in patients with severe HS (Hurley grade III). In contrast, messenger RNA expression of ribonuclease 7 was significantly diminished in lesional HS skin specimens irrespective of HS severity. Overall levels of dermcidin/dermcidin-derived peptides in sweat and messenger RNA expression of psoriasin in skin biopsy specimens did not differ between patients with HS and healthy control subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relatively small number of samples, in particular in the group of patients with HS and Hurley grade III, is a limitation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deficient constitutive production of ribonuclease 7 and, in severe HS, reduced human β-defensin-3 induction may contribute to impaired immunity within the hair follicle and thereby boost HS inflammation and severity.
authors: Department of Dermatology, University Freiburg-Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany. silke.hofmann@uniklinik-freiburg.de
authors: Silke C
authors: SC
authors: Hofmann
authors: Viola
authors: V
authors: Saborowski
authors: Sylke
authors: S
authors: Lange
authors: Winfried V
authors: WV
authors: Kern
authors: Leena
authors: L
authors: Bruckner-Tuderman
authors: Siegbert
authors: S
authors: Rieg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D017497:Hidradenitis Suppurativa / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013542:Sweat / Q000737:chemistry; D055815:Young Adult; D023083:beta-Defensins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; C422950:DEFB103A protein, human; D023083:beta-Defensins; D012260:Ribonucleases; C470000:Ribonuclease 7