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Published online before print January 2, 2007

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© by The Society for Leukocyte Biology
Journal of Leukocyte Biology, doi:10.1189/jlb.0906581

Received for publication September 20, 2006.
Revised November 10, 2006.
Accepted for publication November 28, 2006.

Article

Attenuated induction of epithelial and leukocyte serine antiproteases elafin and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor in Crohn’s disease

Michael Schmid ^*, Klaus Fellermann ^*, Peter Fritz , Oliver Wiedow , Eduard F. Stange ^*, and Jan Wehkamp ^*@

Departments of *Internal Medicine I and Pathology, Robert Bosch Hospital, Stuttgart, Germany; Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Stuttgart, Germany; and Department of Dermatology, University of Kiel, Germany

^@ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jan.wehkamp{at}ikp-stuttgart.de.

	Abstract

Elafin (or skin-derived antileukoprotease) and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) are serine antiproteases antagonizing human neutrophil elastase (HNE), thereby preventing tissue injury from excessive release of proteolytic enzymes by inflammatory cells. Furthermore, elafin and SLPI are "defensin-like" molecules with broad antimicrobial activity. The balance between proteases and antagonists may critically determine inflammatory processes in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Real-time PCR was performed to quantitate colonic, proinflammatory cytokine IL-8, protease (HNE), and antiprotease mRNA (elafin and SLPI) in a total of 340 biopsies from 117 patients (47 CD, 45 UC, 25 controls). Histological inflammation was scored, and HNE, elafin, and SLPI were localized and semiquantified by immunostaining in 51 colonic paraffin sections (23 CD, 11 UC, 17 controls). Proinflammatory IL-8, degree of histological inflammation, and granulocyte content were similar in UC and CD. Elafin stained predominantly in the epithelium and SLPI in mucosal inflammatory cells. HNE mRNA levels and immunostaining were increased equally in both forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Levels of mRNA and immunostaining of the antiproteases elafin and SLPI were enhanced strongly in inflamed versus noninflamed UC. It is surprising that comparing inflamed versus noninflamed CD, this increase was significantly less pronounced for elafin and even lacking for SLPI. Despite comparable degrees of inflammation and protease levels, the induction of both antiproteases was attenuated in CD. This could contribute to the transmural depth of tissue destruction in CD. Elafin and SLPI may be added to the list of defensin-like peptides with diminished induction in CD versus UC.

Key Words: inflammatory bowel disease • antimicrobial peptides

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