title: Cervical Expression of Elafin and SLPI in Pregnancy and Their Association With Preterm Labor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Elafin and secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor (SLPI) are unique among antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). This study aimed to determine the expression levels of these AMPs at the cervix during pregnancy and to investigate their association with preterm labor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cervical epithelial cells were swabbed from normal pregnant women to evaluate the physiological expression of elafin and SLPI. Cross-sectional analysis was conducted to compare cervical expression levels for SLPI and elafin among three women's groups, controls (n = 26), women with threatened preterm labor who delivered at term (t-TPL, n = 23) and TPL who ended in preterm labor (p-TPL, n = 19).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elafin and SLPI proteins were detected in the squamous and glandular cells of the cervix. Cervical SLPI expression levels increased over the course of pregnancy, whereas elafin levels remained unchanged. Cervical mRNA expression levels of elafin and SLPI were significantly higher in p-TPL compared with t-TPL and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Constitutive expression of elafin and SLPI in cervical cells during pregnancy suggests their essential roles in local tissue homeostasis and immune defense. The elevations in cervical elafin and SLPI expression in the women with preterm delivery might reflect the local response to the pathogen invasion into the cervix preceding preterm labor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Itaoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagamatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Danny J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schust
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Seisuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sayama
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwasawa-Kawai
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawana
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osuga
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D053492:Elafin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D053481:Secretory Leukocyte Peptidase Inhibitor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D053492:Elafin; C506806:PI3 protein, human; C506814:SLPI protein, human; D053481:Secretory Leukocyte Peptidase Inhibitor
keywords: Antimicrobial peptide; biomarker; elafin; preterm labor; secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor