title: Natural Killer Cell Assessment in Peripheral Circulation and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Patients with Severe Sepsis: A Case Control Study.
abstract: Sepsis is a complex systemic inflammatory syndrome, the most common cause of which is attributed to systemic underlying bacterial infection. The complete mechanisms of the dynamic pro- and anti-inflammatory processes underlying the pathophysiology of sepsis remain poorly understood. Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of sepsis, leading to exaggerated inflammation due their rapid response and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Several studies have already shown that NK cells undergo lymphopenia in the peripheral blood of patients with sepsis. However, our understanding of the mechanisms behind its cellular trafficking and its role in disease development is restricted to studies in animal models. In this study, we aimed to compare the human NK cell subset (CD56bright or dim) levels in the peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of sepsis patients. We conducted a case-control study with a sample size consisting of 10 control patients and 23 sepsis patients enrolled at the Hospital Cajuru (Curitiba/PR, Brazil) from 2013 to 2015. Although we were able to confirm previous observations of peripheral blood lymphopenia, no significant differences were detected in NK cell levels in the BAL fluid of these patients. Overall, these findings strengthened the evidence that peripheral blood lymphopenia is likely to be associated with cell death as a consequence of sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitário Cajuru-Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná-Curitiba PR, Curitiba, Paraná CEP 80050-350, Brazil. paulosfguimaraes@gmail.com.|Departamento de Fisiologia, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná CEP 81531-990, Brazil. paulosfguimaraes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes
authors.affiliation: Hospital da Mulher "Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti"-CAISM, University of Campinas, São Paulo CEP 13083-887, Brazil. fernando@caism.unicamp.br.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guimaraes
authors.affiliation: Hospital da Mulher "Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti"-CAISM, University of Campinas, São Paulo CEP 13083-887, Brazil. caroline.natania@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Natânia De Souza-Araujo
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Tecnologia Celular-Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná-Curitiba PR, Curitiba, Paraná CEP 80215-901, Brazil. lidiane.leite@pucpr.br.
authors.forename: Lidiane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maria Boldrini Leite
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Tecnologia Celular-Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná-Curitiba PR, Curitiba, Paraná CEP 80215-901, Brazil. alexandra.senegaglia@pucpr.br.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cristina Senegaglia
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná CEP 81531-990, Brazil. anita.ufpr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. guimaraes.f@wehi.edu.au.|Division of Molecular Immunology, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia. guimaraes.f@wehi.edu.au.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL); lung sepsis; lymphopenia; natural killer (NK) cells