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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
Human In-Vivo Bioassay for the Tissue-Specific Measurement of Nociceptive and Inflammatory Mediators
Published on: December 1, 2008
Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1: a potential biomarker for pain intensity in chronic pain patients
Benjamin Luchting1, Ludwig Christian Giuseppe Hinske1, Banafscheh Rachinger-Adam1
1Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, Clinic of the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Germany.
Aim:
Pain therapy is strongly guided by patients' self-reporting. However, when self-reporting is not an option, pain assessment becomes a challenge and may lead to undertreatment of painful conditions. Pain is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon. Recent work has connected pain pathophysiology also with the inflammatory system. We therefore hypothesized that pain intensity could be predicted by cytokine-levels.
Patients & Methods:
In this observational, single-center study, we investigated 30 serum cytokines to predict pain intensity in a screening/follow-up set of 95 chronic pain patients and controls. We then prospectively validated soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1)'s discriminatory capability (n = 21).
Results & Conclusion:
sICAM-1 was significantly associated with patient-reported pain intensity and yielded differential serum levels in patients of varying degrees of pain intensity. Changes in pain ratings over time correlated with changes in sICAM-1 levels. Our findings suggest the possibility of a clinical use of sICAM-1 as a potential biomarker for pain intensity.
