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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
A High-Throughput Luciferase Assay to Evaluate Proteolysis of the Single-Turnover Protease PCSK9
Published on: August 28, 2018
Elevated circulating PCSK9 level is associated with 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis: a prospective cohort
Yuanlu Shu1, Ziwei Deng2, Ye Deng2
1Evidence-based Medicine and Clinical Center, The First People's Hospital of Huaihua, Huaihua, 418000, P.R. China.
Insights
Elevated pro-protein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) levels are linked to increased 28-day mortality in sepsis patients. Circulating PCSK9 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for sepsis outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Medicine
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Pro-protein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) influences lipid clearance.
- PCSK9's role in sepsis prognosis is under investigation.
- Understanding PCSK9's impact is crucial for sepsis management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between PCSK9 levels and 28-day mortality in sepsis patients.
- To determine if PCSK9 can serve as a prognostic biomarker for sepsis.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 203 sepsis patients.
- Categorization into low-PCSK9 and high-PCSK9 groups based on admission levels.
- Time-dependent ROC curves and Cox regression analyzed mortality risk.
Main Results:
- A PCSK9 level of 370 ng/ml was identified as a risk cut-off.
- High PCSK9 levels (>370 ng/ml) were associated with significantly increased 28-day mortality (aHR=2.56).
- PCSK9 levels positively correlated with C-reactive protein.
Conclusions:
- Baseline circulating PCSK9 levels exceeding 370 ng/ml significantly increase sepsis mortality.
- Circulating PCSK9 shows potential as a predictive biomarker for sepsis prognosis.
- Further research can explore therapeutic targeting of PCSK9 in sepsis.
Objectives:
Pro-protein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) decreases the clearance of the pathogenic lipids, supporting the potential role of PCSK9 in the prognosis of sepsis.
Methods:
In this prospective cohort study, patients with sepsis were consecutively recruited from 1 to 2020 to 30 September 2021 at the First People's Hospital of Huaihua, China. All the eligible patients were categorized into low-PCSK9 and high-PCSK9 groups, based on their PCSK9 levels at admission. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to evaluate the association between PCSK9 level and 28-day mortality of sepsis.
Results:
Of the 203 enrolled patients, 56 (27.59%) died during the 28-day follow-up. The PCSK9 level was positively related to the C-reactive protein level. The cut-off point of PCSK9 levels for 28-day mortality risk was 370 ng/ml. Through comparison between high-PCSK9 (> 370 ng/ml) with low-PCSK9 (≤ 370 ng/ml) groups, the adjusted HR for mortality was 2.56 (95% CI: 1.25-5.23, p = 0.01).
Conclusions:
The 28-day mortality of sepsis increased significantly as the baseline circulating PCSK9 level exceeded 370 ng/ml, indicating circulating PCSK9 levels may be a potential biomarker to predict the prognosis of sepsis.
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