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Published on: August 11, 2018
Tonsillar antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression profiles of periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis,
Umut Gazi1, Martha Emmanuel Agada1, Hanife Ozkayalar2
1Department of Medical Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Insights
Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) patients show altered antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression in tonsils. Human beta-defensin 1 localization differs between PFAPA and bacterial tonsillitis, suggesting a role in this autoinflammatory condition.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Microbiology
Background:
- PFAPA is a common autoinflammatory fever syndrome in European children.
- Altered tonsillar microbiome is observed in PFAPA patients.
- This study investigates antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression in PFAPA, similar to Crohn's disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare tonsillar AMP expression levels between PFAPA and recurrent bacterial tonsillitis.
- To investigate the localization of specific AMPs in tonsil tissues.
Main Methods:
- Tonsil specimens from PFAPA and GAβHS patients were analyzed.
- Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to monitor AMP expression (HBD-1-2, cathelicidin, RNase-7, LEAP-1).
- Semi-quantitative analysis and ANOVA were employed for statistical evaluation.
Main Results:
- No significant overall difference in AMP expression levels was found between PFAPA and GAβHS groups.
- Human beta-defensin 1 (HBD-1) showed distinct localization, with higher expression on the surface epithelium in PFAPA patients.
- This differential HBD-1 localization was not observed in the GAβHS group.
Conclusions:
- PFAPA may be associated with altered AMP expression, a characteristic seen in other autoinflammatory diseases.
- The specific localization pattern of HBD-1 suggests a potential role in PFAPA pathogenesis.
- Further research with non-inflammatory controls is needed for definitive conclusions.
Introduction:
PFAPA (periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis) is the most frequent non-infectious cause of high fever observed among the European child population. While its cause is still not yet fully identified, PFAPA patients were previously shown to have altered tonsillar microbiome composition. Our study hypothesized that this is associated with a change in antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression levels, as in the case of Crohn's disease which is another autoinflammatory disorder.
Methods And Materials:
The tonsil specimens were isolated from seven patients with PFAPA syndrome, and six patients with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GAβHS) recurrent tonsillitis. Tonsillar expression levels of human beta-defensin 1-2, cathelicidin, ribonuclease-7, and liver expressed antimicrobial peptide-1 were monitored by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Expression levels were scored using semi-quantitative analysis method and were statistically analyzed by Two-Way Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance test.
Results:
Our results showed no significant difference in AMP expression levels between PFAPA and GAβHS patients. Immunolocalization of human beta-defensin 1 was different between the two groups; expressed at higher levels on tonsil surface epithelium (SE) than lymphoid interior (LI) in PFAPA patient group, while this was not evident in GAβHS patients group.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that, PFAPA patients may be associated with altered AMP expression as in other autoinflammatory diseases. Future studies with subjects without any inflammatory condition are required for more precise conclusions.
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