Endocan is a stable circulating molecule in ICU patients.

Background: Endocan is a lung endothelial cell secreted proteoglycan, possessing multiple physiological roles and potential therapeutic and diagnostic utility as biomarker in pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Endocan synthesis and secretion can be induced by proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, but can also be subject of proteolytic degradation causing preanalytical variation.

Methods: We investigated the stability of endocan in conventional serum, plasma, anticoagulated whole blood, as well as whole blood and plasma stabilized with protease inhibitors.