Plasma lactoferrin reflects granulocyte activation via complement in burn patients

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Burn Injury Research
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Thermal injury triggers complement activation and neutropenia in animals.
• Burn patients exhibit granulocyte dysfunction, including chemotaxis issues and granule loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate complement activation in burn patients.
• To determine if complement activation induces granulocytes to secrete lactoferrin (LF).
• To assess the clinical utility of measuring anaphylatoxins and LF in burn patient management.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated 20 burn patients for absolute granulocyte count (AGC), plasma anaphylatoxins (C3a, C4a, C5a), and lactoferrin (LF).
• Correlated these markers with burn extent, development of neutropenia, sepsis, and pulmonary complications.
• Histochemical analysis of granulocyte LF depletion in severe burn cases.

Main Results:

• Plasma LF levels on day 1 correlated with burn extent (e.g., >30% burn showed LF 10-40 µg/ml).
• Complement activation was evident in all patients (C4a: 283-13,064 ng/ml; C3a: 19-852 ng/ml).
• Elevated LF (>12 µg/ml) on day 1 predicted neutropenia on day 3 in 60% of patients with >30% burn.

Conclusions:

• Complement is activated in burn patients, associated with granulocyte secretion of LF.
• Plasma anaphylatoxins and LF are potential biomarkers for clinical management of burn injuries.
• LF levels may help predict neutropenia and guide patient care post-burn.