LL-37 · research summary

Vitamin D receptor BsmI haplotype BB confers lower 25(OH)D levels during tuberculosis: a pilot cross-sectional study.

Therapeutic advances in infectious disease · 2026. Summary drawn from the study's full text. Each statement is followed by the exact sentence it comes from. This is a research summary, not medical advice.

Study type

Pilot cross-sectional study
“Design:Pilot cross-sectional study, PTB (n = 80) and HC (n = 50).”

Subjects

Adults with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and healthy controls (HC) in the province of Colon, Panama
“To evaluate the frequency of vitamin D receptor polymorphisms, FokI, TaqI, and BsmI, and their relationship with total vitamin D and cathelicidin levels in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and healthy controls (HC) in the province of Colon, Panama.”

Sample size

130 participants (80 PTB, 50 HC)
“The final sample size is 130 participants (Figure 1). These included 80 pulmonary tuberculosis patients (PTB) and 50 healthy controls (HC).”

Duration

Recruitment and data collection from June 2022 to December 2023
“This pilot cross-sectional study was conducted prospectively with recruitment and data collection from June 2022 to December 2023 in Colon, Panama.”

Reported findings

No significant difference in total vitamin D levels between PTB and HC overall
“We observed no significant difference in vitamin D levels between PTB and HC (median (IQR) = 36.6 (27.6–48.7) ng/mL and 32.5 (18–46.3) ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.067).”
Significant association between BsmI VDR polymorphism and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels
“A statistically significant association was observed between the BsmI VDR polymorphism and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, with a significant difference between PTB and HC (p = 0.004).”
Higher cathelicidin levels in unemployed PTB participants compared to HC
“Regarding LL-37, PTB unemployed participants showed higher levels compared to HC (median (IQR) = 59.4 (42.4–79.3) versus 28.2 (13.9–42.8) ng/mL, p = 0.048)”

Limitations stated by the authors

Cross-sectional design restricts causal inference, and potential selection bias due to ethnic heterogeneity and sex; unmeasured nutrition, continuous monitoring of treatments, co-infections and other comorbidities could influence results
“Some of the limitations of this study include its cross-sectional design, which restricts causal inference, and potential selection bias due to the study population’s ethnic heterogeneity and sex. Furthermore, unmeasured nutrition, continuous monitoring of treatments, co-infections and other comorbidities could influence the observed associations.”

Source: PubMed 42389554 · DOI 10.1177/20499361261458154 · all study summaries

Subjects

Adults with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and healthy controls (HC) in the province of Colon, Panama

“To evaluate the frequency of vitamin D receptor polymorphisms, FokI, TaqI, and BsmI, and their relationship with total vitamin D and cathelicidin levels in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and healthy controls (HC) in the province of Colon, Panama.”

Reported findings

No significant difference in total vitamin D levels between PTB and HC overall

“We observed no significant difference in vitamin D levels between PTB and HC (median (IQR) = 36.6 (27.6–48.7) ng/mL and 32.5 (18–46.3) ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.067).”

Significant association between BsmI VDR polymorphism and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels

“A statistically significant association was observed between the BsmI VDR polymorphism and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, with a significant difference between PTB and HC (p = 0.004).”

Higher cathelicidin levels in unemployed PTB participants compared to HC

“Regarding LL-37, PTB unemployed participants showed higher levels compared to HC (median (IQR) = 59.4 (42.4–79.3) versus 28.2 (13.9–42.8) ng/mL, p = 0.048)”

Limitations stated by the authors

Cross-sectional design restricts causal inference, and potential selection bias due to ethnic heterogeneity and sex; unmeasured nutrition, continuous monitoring of treatments, co-infections and other comorbidities could influence results

“Some of the limitations of this study include its cross-sectional design, which restricts causal inference, and potential selection bias due to the study population’s ethnic heterogeneity and sex. Furthermore, unmeasured nutrition, continuous monitoring of treatments, co-infections and other comorbidities could influence the observed associations.”