Clinical significance and Prognostic Role of Serum Tenascin-C in SepticPatients in Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Background:Sepsis exists on a continuum of severity ranging from infection to septic shock, which can lead to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death.Tenascins are a group of extracellular matrix glycoproteins that are expressed during the development of multicellular organisms. Tenascin-C may be an inflammation promoting factor for sepsis and its expression may be increased in various tissues.

Aim of the study: The aim of this study wasto investigate the relationship between serum Tenascin- C levels and disease severity and progression in patients with sepsis at ICU.

Patients and methods:This was a case control study that involved total number of 39 patients 9 apparently healthy subjects, 20 patients with sepsis in ICU and 10 diseased patientswithout sepsis in ICU.All participants were subjected to full clinical examination and laboratory investigations including CBC, CRP, blood culture, and Tenascin C was measuredby ELISA for all participants.

Results:There was no significant difference between all studied groups as regard age or sex.There were high significant rise in CRP, PCT, TLC, as well as Tn-C in septic patients in relation to that of non-septic patients.Hemoglobin concentration showed significant decrease in septic patients than that in non-septic patients.There were 12 cases diseased with sepsis had positive blood cultures.tenascin C level was higher among non-survivor septic patients than survivors indicating its association with the severity and prognosis of sepsis.

Conclusion:Tn-C may be involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis and serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target as the sensitivity of tenascin-c to predict sepsis cases vs control was 75%, specificity was 100%.