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Serum calprotectin: review of its usefulness and validity in paediatric rheumatic diseases
Anthea Mariani1, Manuela Marsili1, Manuela Nozzi1
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.
Insights
Calprotectin, an inflammation molecule, shows promise as a diagnostic marker for childhood rheumatic diseases. Elevated levels correlate with disease activity, aiding in diagnosis where specific markers are lacking.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Specific diagnostic markers are often unavailable for childhood rheumatic diseases.
- Calprotectin (MRP8/MRP14) is an inflammation molecule released by leukocytes.
- Elevated calprotectin is observed in various chronic inflammatory conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the validity and applications of calprotectin as an inflammation marker.
- To explore calprotectin's potential in diagnosing pediatric rheumatic diseases.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on calprotectin in inflammatory diseases.
- Analysis of calprotectin's correlation with disease activity and inflammatory markers (CRP, ESR).
Main Results:
- Increased plasma calprotectin levels are found in chronic inflammatory diseases.
- Serum calprotectin correlates with disease activity and inflammation markers like CRP and ESR.
- Calprotectin shows potential as a novel inflammation marker in pediatric rheumatic diseases.
Conclusions:
- Calprotectin is a promising inflammation marker for childhood rheumatic diseases.
- Its levels correlate with disease severity, offering diagnostic utility.
- Further research can validate its application in pediatric rheumatology.
Abstract:
In most childhood rheumatic diseases, specific diagnostic markers are not yet available. Therefore, a major emphasis in medical research today is directed to the discovery of new inflammation molecules, like calprotectin. Calprotectin (MRP8/MRP14) is a complex of calcium- and zinc-binding proteins that belong to the S100 protein family. This protein is directly released by leukocytes during the interaction with inflammatory activated endothelium at the site of inflammation. Increased plasma calprotectin levels have been found in inflammatory chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In these diseases, serum calprotectin has been shown to correlate with disease activity and laboratory variables of inflammation such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). This review outlines the validity and the possible applications of calprotectin as a new inflammation marker in paediatric rheumatic diseases.
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