Antimicrobial peptides and nitric oxide as prognostic criteria for bronchial asthma

Yudina S.M., Ivanova I.A., Rusanova T.S., Makeeva I.Yu., Korshikova M.Yu.

Kursk State Medical University, Kursk

Aim: comparative assessment of innate immunity factors (production of PMP and NO metabolites) and cytokine profile in patients with bronchial asthma.
Materials and methods. 57 patients with bronchial asthma (mean age 39.8 ± 5.7 years) were under observation. The level of cytokines in the serum of peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar fluid (BAF), the content of PMP (α-defensins – HNP1-3) was determined by enzyme immunoassay. The study of the level of nitric oxide metabolites was carried out by the spectrophotometric method according to the total concentration of nitrites and nitrates using the Griess reagent.
Results. The level of pro-inflammatory cytokines exceeded the values of donors: TNF-α showed a 3-time increase, IL-1β – 2,5-time and IL-6 – 1,5-time. A significant increase was seeen in the concentration of IL-4 – more than 3 times (up to 68 pg/ml). There were no significant changes in the content of IFN-γ and IL-10. In the cytokine profile of the broncho-alveolar fluid, similar changes were noted: the level of TNF-α and IL-1β exceeded the control values ​​by 2.5 times, IL-6 by 3.5 times and IL-4 by 4.5 times. This was combined with a 3.2-fold decrease in the concentration of IFN-γ and a marked trend towards a decrease in the content of IL-10 in BAF. A sharp increase in the content of α-defensins in both serum and BAF was revealed. Moreover, in the blood serum their level was 4 times higher than the reference values, and in the BAF – 7.5 times higher than the donors. The study of the level of serum NO metabolites revealed a two-fold excess in blood serum and 3,8 times – a BAF compared with donors.
Conclusions. Based on the results of the studies, a conclusion was made about the close relationship between the production of cytokines, α-defensins and NO metabolites, which significantly affect the maintenance and progression of inflammation in the bronchial mucosa. The study of these biological markers of inflammation can be attributed to the prognostic criteria for the activity and severity of the inflammatory process in the bronchial tree, the control of the effectiveness of the treatment of patients with bronchial asthma.