Evaluation of the Paraoxonase-1 Level in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

This study, aimed to evaluate the role of paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis (AP). PON-1 plays a significant role in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiatherogenic responses and may help predict the severity of AP.

A total of 50 patients with AP and 45 healthy volunteers were included in the study. AP was diagnosed when serum amylase and/or lipase values increased threefold and/or more than the upper limit of normal, together with a complaint of abdominal pain. Modified Atlanta and Ranson scoring were used for AP severity.

AP causes were biliary for 35 (70%) patients and idiopathic for 8 (16%) patients, AP developed in 6 (12%) patients after endoscopic retrograde pancreatography, and AP in 1 (2%) patient was a consequence hypertriglyceridemia. No difference in PON-1 level was found between the groups (PON-1=197.06±164.6 and 192.1±111.78, respectively, p=0.86). On the other hand, patients were stratified according to the modified Atlanta (177.5±166.8 for mild to moderate vs. 268.5±64.2 for severe, p<0.018) or Ranson (163.2±133.06 for mild vs. 208.8±158.0 for severe, p<0.016). PON-1 level was significantly higher in patients with severe AP compared to patients with mild and/or moderate disease.

Although PON-1 level did not differ in patients with and without AP, PON-1 level increased significantly in parallel with the severity of AP. Thus, PON-1 can be a potential marker for the severity of the disease and can predict prognosis.