The association between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin d level and urine cathelicidin in children with a urinary tract infection

Duygu Övünç Hacıhamdioğlu, Demet Altun, Bülent Hacıhamdioğlu, Ferhat Çekmez, Gökhan Aydemir, Mustafa Kul, Tuba Müftüoğlu, Selami Süleymanoğlu, Ferhan Karademir

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: Cathelicidin is an important antimicrobial peptide in the urinary tract. Cathelicidin expression is strongly stimulated by 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D in epithelial cells, macrophages/monocytes, and neutrophils. Vitamin D and cathelicidin status in children with urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by Escherichia coli is unknown. To establish the relationship between serum vitamin D and urine cathelicidin levels in children with a UTI caused by Escherichia coli. Methods: Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and urine cathelicidin levels were measured in 36 patients with UTI (mean age 6.8±3.6 years, range: 0.25-12.6 years) and 38 controls (mean age 6.3±2.8 years, range: 0.42-13 years). Results: There were no significant differences in urine cathelicidin levels between the study and control groups (p>0.05). Eight (22.2%) patients in the study group and 21 (58.3%) children in the control group were found to have sufficient vitamin D (≥20 ng/mL). Patients with sufficient vitamin D had higher urine cathelicidin levels than the controls with sufficient vitamin D (respectively 262.5±41.1 vs. 168±31.6 ng/mL, p=0.001). There were no significant differences between the patients and controls with insufficient vitamin D (p>0.05). Conclusion: The children with vitamin D insufficiency may not be able to increase their urine cathelicidin level during UTI caused by Escherichia coli. There is a need of prospective studies in order to prove a beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation for the restoration of cathelicidin stimulation and consequently for prevention of UTI recurrence.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)325-329
Number of pages5
JournalJCRPE Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cathelicidin
  • Children
  • Escherichia coli
  • Urinary tract infection
  • Vitamin D

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