title: Increased intestinal production of α-defensins in aged rats with acute pancreatic injury.
abstract: Acute pancreatitis is a life-threatening situation, frequently associated with uncontrolled local and systemic inflammation, and aging is associated with a worst prognosis. Antimicrobial peptides are ancient molecules that belong to innate immunity, produced by epithelial and immune cells, and are able to trigger a myriad of effector responses. We have hypothesized that antimicrobial peptides could play an important role during serious pancreatic injury. To investigate our hypothesis, α-defensin-5, α-defensin-7 and CRAMP gene expression levels were measured in the intestinal tissue of old and young rats submitted to chemical pancreatic damage. We found significantly higher levels of α-defensin-5 and α-defensin-7, but not CRAMP, in the samples from old mice. This increase was not associated with a worse systemic inflammatory response. We conclude that α-defensins may have a pivotal role during acute pancreatitis and that the elderly develops a more severe local, but not systemic inflammatory process.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Débora Maria Gomes
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcia Kiyomi
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Denise Frediani
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Barbeiro
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hermes Vieira
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Barbeiro
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mike Yoshio
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Hamasaki
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme Tude
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Coelho Neto
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcel Cerqueira César
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: pinheirofabiano@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fabiano Pinheiro
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: da Silva
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D054804:Cathelicidins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D023084:alpha-Defensins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D054804:Cathelicidins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D023084:alpha-Defensins
keywords: Antimicrobial peptides; Elderly; Intestine; Pancreatitis; Rats; α-Defensins