Department of Bacteriology and Immunology and Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Department of Pediatrics and Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Scand J Immunol. 2021 Feb;93(2):e12987. doi: 10.1111/sji.12987. Epub 2020 Nov 5.
The first months of life represent a crucial time period for an infant. Alongside establishing the early microbiome, the mucosal immunological homeostasis is being developed. Both processes may be perturbed in prematurely born infants. The glycoprotein SALSA plays a role in mucosal inflammation and microbial clearance. It is one of the most abundant molecules on the intestinal mucosal surfaces in early life. SALSA binds to many types of microbes and host defence molecules like IgA, C1q and collectin molecules. We here describe the development in faecal SALSA levels during the first three months of life. During these 90 days, the median SALSA level in full-term babies decreased from 1100 μg/mL (range 49-17 000 μg/mL) to 450 μg/mL (range 33-1000 μg/mL). Lower levels of SALSA were observed in prematurely born infants in the same time period. Our novel observation thus indicates an impact of prematurity on an important component of the infant intestinal immune system. Changes in SALSA in early life may have an effect on the early establishment of the human microbiome.
婴儿生命的头几个月是一个关键时期。在此期间，婴儿的早期微生物组开始建立，黏膜免疫稳态也开始发展。这两个过程都可能在早产儿中受到干扰。糖蛋白 SALSA 在黏膜炎症和微生物清除中发挥作用。它是生命早期肠道黏膜表面最丰富的分子之一。SALSA 可结合多种类型的微生物和宿主防御分子，如 IgA、C1q 和补体凝集素分子。我们在这里描述了生命最初三个月粪便 SALSA 水平的变化。在这 90 天中，足月婴儿的 SALSA 中位数从 1100μg/mL（范围 49-17000μg/mL）降至 450μg/mL（范围 33-1000μg/mL）。同一时期，早产儿的 SALSA 水平较低。因此，我们的新观察表明，早产对婴儿肠道免疫系统的一个重要组成部分有影响。生命早期 SALSA 的变化可能会影响人类微生物组的早期建立。
