Plasma levels of soluble TGF ß 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.