Volume 11 Issue 1
Methods of Quantitative Assessment of the Response of Dilated Skin Blood Vessels to High-Energy Light Treatments
Anna Deda,Aleksandra Lipka-Trawińska,Barbara Błońska-Fajfrowska,Wiktoria Odrzywołek,Agata Lebiedowska,Magdalena Hartman-Petrycka,Dominika Wcisło-Dziadecka andSławomir Wilczyński
1Department of Pulmology, Special Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
2Department of Dermatovenereology, University Hospital Center Sestre Milosrdnice, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
3School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
4Department for Respiratory Infections, Dr. Fran Mihaljević University Hospital for Infections Diseases, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
5Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
6Department of Dental Medicine, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
7Department of Oral Medicine, Study of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
8Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Center Sestre Milosrdnice, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
9Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Center Sestre Milosrdnice, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Human β-defensin 2 (HBD2) is a protein that plays an important role in activating the immune system by modulating spinal pathways and the inflammatory response. According to previous research, HBD2 was proven to be important in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) (their values were significantly elevated in CSU patients, with a significant correlation between HBD2 levels and the percentage of peripheral basophils, suggesting that elevated HBD2 levels may be a potential marker of basophil and mast cell activation), which led us to additional research on the HBD2 molecule in isolated chronic angioedema. The aim of this research is to examine HBD2 values in the saliva and serum of patients with isolated angioedema, as a potential biomarker of the disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved a total of 102 participants, involving three groups: 33 patients with isolated chronic non-hereditary angioedema (AE) (defined as sudden onset of localized edema without chronic urticaria), 33 patients with angioedema associated with chronic urticaria (CU+AE), and 35 healthy participants (controls, CTRL). They provided a saliva sample to determine HBD2 levels using an ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Subsequently, a peripheral blood sample (serum) was taken from the participants to determine HBD2 levels using the same ELISA. Results: Salivary HBD2 levels were significantly higher in those with CU+AE than in the CTRL (p = 0.019). While salivary HBD2 values differed between those with angioedema and CTRL, the serum HBD2 values did not. Also, no correlation between the levels of HBD2 in saliva and serum was found. Conclusions: Since we found that salivary HBD2 values were significantly higher in those with CU+AE than in CTRL, this points to a possible role of the HBD2 molecule in pathogenesis of AE (namely, that it induces degranulation in mast cells and vascular permeability, and has antimicrobial properties) Therefore, more research is needed to determine how reliable salivary HBD2 measurement is, as well as its significance.
Keywords: human β-defensin 2; angioedema; chronic urticaria; biomarkers; saliva; inflammatory factors; mast cells; immune response
