02402nas a2200289   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653001500054653001200069653001400081653001700095653000800112100001300120700001300133700001600146700001400162700001700176700001600193700001500209700001200224245009500236856008600331300000800417490000700425520166600432022001402098       2023                            d  c12/202310aBiomarkers10aleprosy10aPentraxin10aPolymorphism10aSNP1 aMoraes A1 ada Luz R1 aFernandes A1 aBarbosa M1 ade Andrade L1 aArmstrong A1 ade Souza C1 aCarmo R00aAssociation of PTX3 gene polymorphisms and PTX3 plasma levels with leprosy susceptibility.  uhttps://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12879-023-08862-0.pdf  a1-70 v233 a<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a soluble pattern recognition receptor that plays a crucial role in modulating the inflammatory response and activating the complement system. Additionally, plasma PTX3 has emerged as a potential biomarker for various infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of PTX3 gene polymorphisms and PTX3 plasma levels with susceptibility to leprosy and clinical characteristics.</p>

<p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients with leprosy from a hyperendemic area in the Northeast Region of Brazil were included. Healthy household contacts and healthy blood donors from the same geographical area were recruited as a control group. The rs1840680 and rs2305619 polymorphisms of PTX3 were determined by real-time PCR. Plasma levels of PTX3 were determined by ELISA.</p>

<p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 512 individuals were included. Of these, 273 were patients diagnosed with leprosy; 53 were household contacts, and 186 were healthy blood donors. No association was observed between PTX3 polymorphisms and susceptibility to leprosy or development of leprosy reaction or physical disability. On the other hand, plasma levels of PTX3 were significantly higher in patients with leprosy when compared to household contacts (p = 0.003) or blood donors (p = 0.04). It was also observed that PTX3 levels drop significantly after multidrug therapy (p &lt; 0.0001).</p>

<p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results suggest that PTX3 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of leprosy and point to the potential use of this molecule as an infection marker.</p>
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