Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors
IntroductionPreterm infants have an immature epidermis barrier function that may lead to an increased permeability to pathogens. On the surface of the human skin, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important molecules of the innate immune system, have broad antimicrobial properties, and provide an es...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Immunology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1093340/full |
| _version_ | 1828003926666903552 |
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| author | Alexander Humberg Alexander Humberg Lisa Neuenburg Hannah Boeckel Mats Ingmar Fortmann Christoph Härtel Egbert Herting Heilwig Hinrichs Franziska Rademacher Jürgen Harder |
| author_facet | Alexander Humberg Alexander Humberg Lisa Neuenburg Hannah Boeckel Mats Ingmar Fortmann Christoph Härtel Egbert Herting Heilwig Hinrichs Franziska Rademacher Jürgen Harder |
| author_sort | Alexander Humberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionPreterm infants have an immature epidermis barrier function that may lead to an increased permeability to pathogens. On the surface of the human skin, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important molecules of the innate immune system, have broad antimicrobial properties, and provide an essential role in integrity of the microbiome. Given the marked susceptibility of preterm infants to infection, we hypothesize a decreased expression of AMPs on the skin of preterm infants.Materials and methodsIn a prospective single-center study with 35 preterm and 20 term infants, we analyzed skin rinsing probes for the presence of the AMPs psoriasin (S100A7) and ribonuclease 7 (RNase 7) via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Samples were taken from preterm infants < 34 0/7 weeks gestational age (mean ± SD gestational age, 28.8 ± 2.4 weeks) on days 0, 7, 14, and 28 after birth. Term infants (> 36 6/7 weeks) (controls) were washed on days 0 and 28.ResultsPsoriasin and RNase 7 were both expressed on skin of preterm and term infants and increased in concentration significantly over time. RNase 7 was more expressed in term infants on day 0 [preterm = 1.1 (0.7–2.9) vs. term = 2.0 (1.1–3.4) ng/ml, p = 0.017]. On day 28, premature infants showed higher values of psoriasin [preterm = 10.9 (5.6–14.2) vs. term = 6.3 (3.4–9.0) ng/ml, p < 0.001]. Notably, preterm infants with infectious or inflammatory context driven by histological proof of chorioamnionitis and early-onset or late-onset sepsis had higher concentrations of psoriasin as compared with non-affected preterm infants. After exclusion of infants with inflammatory hit, median concentrations of RNase 7 and psoriasin did not differ between preterm and full-term infants on days 0 and 28.DiscussionPsoriasin and RNase 7 concentrations increase over time on the skin of newborn infants and seem to play a role in the first defense against infection. This is of particularly interest as the role of AMPs on a maturing skin microbiome and its possible new prevention strategies is unclear and needs to be determined. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:07:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b0ab7ff791ff4fc795a5428f745a3bfc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-3224 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:07:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
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| series | Frontiers in Immunology |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0ab7ff791ff4fc795a5428f745a3bfc2023-02-27T06:44:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242023-02-011410.3389/fimmu.2023.10933401093340Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factorsAlexander Humberg0Alexander Humberg1Lisa Neuenburg2Hannah Boeckel3Mats Ingmar Fortmann4Christoph Härtel5Egbert Herting6Heilwig Hinrichs7Franziska Rademacher8Jürgen Harder9Department of General Pediatrics, University Children’s Hospital Muenster, Muenster, GermanyInstitute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Wuerzburg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, GermanyDepartment of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Quincke Research Center, Kiel University, Kiel, GermanyDepartment of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Quincke Research Center, Kiel University, Kiel, GermanyDepartment of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Quincke Research Center, Kiel University, Kiel, GermanyIntroductionPreterm infants have an immature epidermis barrier function that may lead to an increased permeability to pathogens. On the surface of the human skin, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important molecules of the innate immune system, have broad antimicrobial properties, and provide an essential role in integrity of the microbiome. Given the marked susceptibility of preterm infants to infection, we hypothesize a decreased expression of AMPs on the skin of preterm infants.Materials and methodsIn a prospective single-center study with 35 preterm and 20 term infants, we analyzed skin rinsing probes for the presence of the AMPs psoriasin (S100A7) and ribonuclease 7 (RNase 7) via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Samples were taken from preterm infants < 34 0/7 weeks gestational age (mean ± SD gestational age, 28.8 ± 2.4 weeks) on days 0, 7, 14, and 28 after birth. Term infants (> 36 6/7 weeks) (controls) were washed on days 0 and 28.ResultsPsoriasin and RNase 7 were both expressed on skin of preterm and term infants and increased in concentration significantly over time. RNase 7 was more expressed in term infants on day 0 [preterm = 1.1 (0.7–2.9) vs. term = 2.0 (1.1–3.4) ng/ml, p = 0.017]. On day 28, premature infants showed higher values of psoriasin [preterm = 10.9 (5.6–14.2) vs. term = 6.3 (3.4–9.0) ng/ml, p < 0.001]. Notably, preterm infants with infectious or inflammatory context driven by histological proof of chorioamnionitis and early-onset or late-onset sepsis had higher concentrations of psoriasin as compared with non-affected preterm infants. After exclusion of infants with inflammatory hit, median concentrations of RNase 7 and psoriasin did not differ between preterm and full-term infants on days 0 and 28.DiscussionPsoriasin and RNase 7 concentrations increase over time on the skin of newborn infants and seem to play a role in the first defense against infection. This is of particularly interest as the role of AMPs on a maturing skin microbiome and its possible new prevention strategies is unclear and needs to be determined.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1093340/fullantimicrobial peptidespremature infantssepsisskin barrierchorioamnionitis |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Humberg Alexander Humberg Lisa Neuenburg Hannah Boeckel Mats Ingmar Fortmann Christoph Härtel Egbert Herting Heilwig Hinrichs Franziska Rademacher Jürgen Harder Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors Frontiers in Immunology antimicrobial peptides premature infants sepsis skin barrier chorioamnionitis |
| title | Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors |
| title_full | Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors |
| title_fullStr | Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors |
| title_short | Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors |
| title_sort | antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors |
| topic | antimicrobial peptides premature infants sepsis skin barrier chorioamnionitis |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1093340/full |
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