ArticlePediatric pulmonology2026
Cathepsin B, Airway Pathogens, and Inflammation in the Lower Airways of Children With Cystic Fibrosis.
Article in Pediatric pulmonology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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6 authors.
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Abstract
introductionDysregulated protease activity contributes to airway inflammation and tissue remodeling in cystic fibrosis (CF); however, the role of the lysosomal cysteine protease Cathepsin B (CTSB) remains incompletely defined. This cross-sectional study investigates relationships between pro-CTSB and mature CTSB activity with CF-specific pathogens and airway inflammation in children with and without CF.
methodsBronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected from clinically indicated bronchoscopies in children (N = 52 CF, N = 161 non-CF). CTSB was interrogated using ELISA, fluorogenic activity assay, and Western blot analysis to distinguish pro- and mature CTSB. Total bacterial and total fungal load (TFL) were quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and community composition was determined by 16S bacterial and 18S fungal sequencing. Concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines and neutrophil elastase (NE) were measured via Luminex multiplatform and a spectrophotometric assay, respectively. Analyses included Spearman's rank correlations and Wilcoxon rank-based tests.
resultsPro-CTSB and CTSB activity were significantly (p < 0.01) elevated in CF BALF and in samples with a positive Staphylococcus aureus airway culture. Pro-CTSB concentrations correlated with staphylococcal relative abundance (RA,
conclusionsBALF CTSB concentration may serve as a CF-specific biomarker of infection-related inflammation and obstructive lung disease driven by specific pathogen interactions.
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