Factores anti-infecciosos del pulmón como nuevas estrategias terapéuticas frente a infecciones respiratorias

Abstract

The respiratory system is involved in providing oxygen to the organism for cellular respiration while expelling the carbon dioxide produced as waste from this process. This gas exchange is carried out in the alveolar epithelium, which has the largest area of the body in contact with the external environment. Therefore, it is continuously exposed to inhaled particles and pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which are resistant to multiple families of antibiotics (1).The alveolar epithelium is equipped with an effective immune defense in order to protect the host against pathogens reaching the alveoli during inspiration (2). This innate immune system is composed of: i) a cellular component comprising immune phagocytic cells, mainly alveolar macrophages and neutrophils (2); and (ii) a soluble component consisting of antimicrobial proteins and peptides (AMPs) able to recognize and eliminate pathogens (2). These soluble factors include antimicrobial proteins such as lactoferrin, lysozyme, and the pulmonary collectins SP-A and SP-D, as well as antimicrobial peptides such as SP-BN, cathelicidins, and defensins. They have antimicrobial activity and are able to modulate the inflammatory response of the host...