Nature Communications (Sep 2022)

Diabetes downregulates the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin and increases E. coli burden in the urinary bladder

  • Soumitra Mohanty,
  • Witchuda Kamolvit,
  • Andrea Scheffschick,
  • Anneli Björklund,
  • Jonas Tovi,
  • Alexander Espinosa,
  • Kerstin Brismar,
  • Thomas Nyström,
  • Jens M. Schröder,
  • Claes-Göran Östenson,
  • Pontus Aspenström,
  • Hanna Brauner,
  • Annelie Brauner

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32636-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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Patients with diabetes have an increased susceptibility to infections. Here the authors show that high glucose impairs innate immunity through reduced levels of the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin and impaired epithelial barrier function, resulting in an increased risk of urinary tract infection.