Effect of S100A12 and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products on the occurrence of severe acute pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether serum levels of S100A12 and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) could predict the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP).

METHODS: We conducted a non-interventional pilot study, including 74 AP patients and 28 healthy volunteers serving as controls. AP patients were further divided into the mild (MAP, n = 22), moderately severe (MSAP, n = 30) and severe (SAP, n = 22) groups. Peripheral blood samples were collected within 72 h after the onset of AP for the determination of S100A12, sRAGE and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Balthazar computed tomography severity index (CTSI) were calculated at admission.

RESULTS: S100A12 and sRAGE levels in SAP patient were significantly higher than in controls, MAP and MSAP patients. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated the predictive ability of S100A12 [sensitivity 91%, specificity 81%, the area under the ROC curve AUROC 0.9047] and sRAGE (sensitivity 57%, specificity 100%, AUROC 0.8304) for evaluating the severity of AP. S100A12 and sRAGE were correlated with APACHE II and CTSI but not with CRP. This combination of new and traditional indicators had higher accuracy than traditional indicators alone. Specifically, S100A12 and sRAGE were positively correlated with the type of organ failure (respiratory and renal failure) and might distinguish transient from persistent organ failure at admission.

CONCLUSION: S100A12 and sRAGE could be used as efficient biomarkers for the early identification of SAP.