Abstract
Interactions between the neuroendocrine and immune system play an important role in maintaining and restoring homeostasis. Any dysfunction may result in susceptible individuals in septicemia and bacterial infection.
We studied toll-like receptors (TLR) and prolactin (PRL) role in defensive reaction of immune system to bacterial infection and hypothesized that PRL takes part in this defensive reaction and has contraregulative role against activation of adrenocortical system. Measuring the expression of PRL, TLR 2 and 4 mRNA levels in CD14+ cells derived from peripheral blood of 20 septic patients at the time of admission (sample A) and then at the moment when symptoms of sepsis disappeared (sample B) revealed no change between the two samples.
Similarly, we were not able to detect any statistically significant difference in PRL, TLR2 and 4 protein levels measured by FCM. Preliminary results do not confirm that septic statuses change peripheral PRL, TLR2 and TLR4 expression in CD14+ cells.