Relationship of sputum neutrophil elastase levels with inflammatory cytokines and disease severity in patients with bronchiectasis
Lan Zhigang
Liu Yunqiu
Liu Xiaoyu
Han Jing
Song Lu
Yang Xiaoyan
Wang Yue
Abstract：Objective To investigate the relationship between neutrophil elastase(NE)levels and inflammatory cytokines/dis-ease severity in patients with bronchiectasis,providing insights for clinical management.Methods A total of 200 bronchiecta-sis patients admitted to Kailuan General Hospital from June 2021 to June 2024 were enrolled.Based on Bronchiectasis Severity Index(BSI)scores,patients were divided into mild(n=69),moderate(n=73),and severe(n=58)groups.Serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9),C-reactive protein(CRP),and procalcitonin(PCT)were compared at admission.Pear-son correlation analysis was used to assess associations between sputum NE levels,inflammatory cytokines,and disease severi-ty.Results Significant differences were observed in sputum NE and serum MMP-9,CRP,and PCT levels among the three groups(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis revealed positive correlations between NE levels and serum MMP-9(r=0.862,P=0.013),CRP(r=0.924,P＜0.001),PCT(r=0.896,P=0.024),and BSI scores(r=0.769,P＜0.001).At admission,diagnostic cutoff values for bronchiectasis were:sputum NE=6.98 μg/mL(AUC=0.915),MMP-9=166.47 ng/mL(AUC=0.748),CRP=15.06 mg/L(AUC=0.943),and PCT=2.69 g/L(AUC=0.900).Combined diagnostic sensitivity,speci-ficity,and AUC were 97.50％,98.33％,and 0.994,respectively.Conclusion Sputum NE levels in patients with bronchiectasis correlate with inflammatory cytokines and disease severity.NE may serve as a key determinant of inflammatory cytokines and a potential biomarker for predicting and targeting disease severity.
Keywords：BronchiectasisNeutrophil elastaseInflammatory cytokinesDisease severity
Publication Date：2025-02-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 114-118 )