PURPOSE: To investigate the changes in urinary nerve growth factor (uNGF) levels after acute urinary tract infection (UTI) and to assess the role of uNGF in predicting UTI recurrence in women. METHODS: Women with uncomplicated, symptomatic UTIs were enrolled. Cephalexin 500 mg (every 6 hours) was administered for 7-14 days to treat acute UTIs. Subsequently, the patients were randomized to receive either sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim 800 mg/160 mg daily at bedtime, or celecoxib 200 mg daily for 3 months and were monitored for up to 12 months. NGF levels in the urine were determined at baseline, 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the initiation of prophylactic therapy, and were compared between women with first-time UTIs and recurrent UTIs, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and celecoxib-treated women, and no UTI recurrence and UTI recurrence that occurred during the follow-up period. Twenty women free of UTIs served as controls. RESULTS: A total of 139 women with UTI and 20 controls were enrolled in the study, which included 50 women with a first-time UTI and 89 women with recurrent UTIs. Thirty-seven women completed the study. Women with recurrent UTIs (n=23) had a trend of lower uNGF levels than women with first-time UTIs (n=14). During follow-up, 9 women had UTI recurrence. The serial uNGF levels in women with UTI recurrence were significantly lower than those in women who did not have UTI recurrence during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: The lower levels of uNGF in women with recurrent UTI and the incidence of UTI recurrence during follow-up suggest that lower uNGF might reflect the defective innate immunity in women with recurrent UTI.
Biomarkers ; Celecoxib ; Cephalexin ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Nerve Growth Factor* ; Recurrence ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been extensively used to ameliorate diseases in Asia for over thousands of years. However, owing to a lack of formal scientific validation, the absence of information regarding the mechanisms underlying TCMs restricts their application. After oral administration, TCM herbal ingredients frequently are not directly absorbed by the host, but rather enter the intestine to be transformed by gut microbiota. The gut microbiota is a microbial community living in animal intestines, and functions to maintain host homeostasis and health. Increasing evidences indicate that TCM herbs closely affect gut microbiota composition, which is associated with the conversion of herbal components into active metabolites. These may significantly affect the therapeutic activity of TCMs. Microbiota analyses, in conjunction with modern multiomics platforms, can together identify novel functional metabolites and form the basis of future TCM research.