Marked reduction of LL-37/hCAP-18, an antimicrobial peptide, in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

We detected LL-37/hCAP-18 expression in the peripheral blood smears of 50 healthy donors and 143 patients with various hematological diseases. Compared with that in the healthy donors, expression of the protein in the neutrophils was significantly lower in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), especially those with infection, but no significant difference was detected in messenger RNA level. We did not detect increased LL-37/hCAP-18 protein expression in U937 cells treated with lipopolysaccharide or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain. Furthermore, LL-37/hCAP-18 protein production was not restored in differentiated myeloid cell lines NB4 or HL-60 induced by all-trans retinoic acid. LL-37/hCAP-18 has been shown to play a role in host defense, and its deficiency in AML may be one of the explanations for susceptibility to infection among these patients.