Antimicrobial peptides in patients with anorexia nervosa: comparison with healthy controls and the impact of weight gain.

ABSTRACT: Clinical observations show that patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are surprisingly free from infectious diseases. There is evidence from studies in Drosophila melanogaster that starvation leads to an increased expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs are part of the innate immune system and protect human surfaces from colonization with pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi. We compared the expression of AMPs between patients with AN and healthy controls (HC) and investigated the influence of weight gain. Using a standardized skin rinsing method, quantitative determination of the AMPs psoriasin and RNase 7 was carried out by ELISA. Even though non-significant, effect sizes revealed slightly higher AMP concentrations in HC. After a mean weight gain of 2.0 body mass index points,

SUBMITTER: Bendix MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7746688 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature