Plasma levels of soluble TGF β receptor type III: no apparent promise as a marker in acute pancreatitis

AIM: To assess the potential of the soluble transforming growth factor β receptor type III (sTGFβrIII), a key regulator in TGFβ signaling, as a biomarker for diagnosis and stratification of patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). METHODS: In this small prospective pilot study, patients’ (N = 22) plasma samples were obtained at three time points: the first and fourth day of hospitalization and the day of hospital discharge. Healthy controls’ plasma (N = 25) was obtained at a single time point. Concentration of sTGFβrIII in plasma was determined by ELISA. Data were analyzed by fitting linear or linear mixed models. RESULTS: Plasma sTGFβrIII levels at presentation (day 1) were similar in AP patients and healthy participants, irrespectively of the disease severity. sTGFβrIII levels in patients were constant during hospital stay. CONCLUSION: These observations do not support further evaluation of plasma sTGFβrIII levels in this setting, but do not exclude a potential biological role of TGFβ and membrane-bound TGFβrIII in AP pathophysiology.