Monitoring of the course of sepsis in hematooncological patients by extrapituitary prolactin expression in peripheral blood monocytes

Our study explored the role of extrapituitary prolactin (PRL) and toll-like receptors (TLR)2 and TLR4 in defense reaction of immune system to bacterial infection. Forty-two patients diagnosed with sepsis were recruited and blood samples were withdrawn after patients' admission to hospital, after the end of acute phase of sepsis and after the sepsis has been resolved, respectively. Seventeen patients died of sepsis; thus, only one sample collected just before death could be processed. PRL and TLR2/4 mRNA levels were measured in CD14+ blood monocytes by QPCR and PRL -1149 G/T SNP genotyped. The TLRs mRNA expression was markedly elevated in all patients groups in comparison to healthy controls mRNA levels; the highest upregulation of monocytic TLR2 in sepsis (16.4 times, P