Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.17 (lysozyme)
 21,489 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Of all sites in the body, the lung is perhaps challenged by the greatest onslaught of microbial pathogens, many of which would cause lethal infections if unopposed. The immune response to respiratory infection must, therefore, be rapid and efficient. However, the respiratory tract is a fragile tissue with architecture that is finely designed for gas exchange, so that the price of excessive or inappropriate inflammatory responses may itself be very high. The first line of defence comes from barriers such as mucus and cilia, followed by a battery of mediators that constitute the innate response. These include lactoferrin, lysozyme, collectins and defensins. Activation of these molecules can lead directly to lysis of pathogens, or to destruction through opsonisation or the recruitment of inflammatory cells. The adaptive immune response includes the production of neutralising antibodies and the responses of T lymphocytes. Different populations of T lymphocytes may dramatically alter the balance between clearance of the pathogen and induction of tissue damage depending on the cytokines they secrete.
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PMID:Pulmonary defences to acute respiratory infection. 1199 95

Heavy training is associated with increased respiratory infection risk and antimicrobial proteins are important in defence against oral and respiratory tract infections. We examined the effect of 14 weeks of vitamin D3 supplementation (5000 IU/day) on the resting plasma cathelicidin concentration and the salivary secretion rates of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), cathelicidin, lactoferrin and lysozyme in athletes during a winter training period. Blood and saliva were obtained at the start of the study from 39 healthy men who were randomly allocated to vitamin D3 supplement or placebo. Blood samples were also collected at the end of the study; saliva samples were collected after 7 and 14 weeks. Plasma total 25(OH)D concentration increased by 130% in the vitamin D3 group and decreased by 43% in the placebo group (both P = 0.001). The percentage change of plasma cathelicidin concentration in the vitamin D3 group was higher than in the placebo group (P = 0.025). Only in the vitamin D3 group, the saliva SIgA and cathelicidin secretion rates increased over time (both P = 0.03). A daily 5000 IU vitamin D3 supplement has a beneficial effect in up-regulating the expression of SIgA and cathelicidin in athletes during a winter training period, which could improve resistance to respiratory infections.
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PMID:The effect of 14 weeks of vitamin D3 supplementation on antimicrobial peptides and proteins in athletes. 2586 8