Diagnostic and prognostic value of LAMB2 in sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit

Sepsis is a major cause of mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The LAMB2 gene encodes laminin β2, a critical basement membrane component involved in maintaining tissue and organ integrity. However, the clinical significance of LAMB2 expression in sepsis diagnosis and prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of LAMB2 as a biomarker for sepsis.

A total of 172 sepsis patients admitted to the ICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between June 2023 and September 2024, and 39 non-septic healthy controls undergoing routine health examinations at the same hospital, were enrolled. All patients met the Sepsis 3.0 diagnostic criteria and were divided into sepsis (n = 88) and septic shock (n = 84) groups. Serum and monocyte LAMB2 levels were measured using ELISA and RT-qPCR, respectively. We also queried The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) datasets to profile baseline LAMB2 expression across human immune cell subsets. The diagnostic and prognostic value of LAMB2 was assessed via multivariate regression, ROC curve, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Patients with septic shock showed significantly lower LAMB2 mRNA and serum levels compared to sepsis patients and healthy controls (p < 0.001). Serum LAMB2 was strongly negatively correlated with lactate levels (r = -0.823, p < 0.001). LAMB2 mRNA was inversely correlated with SOFA scores (r = -0.361, p < 0.001) and renal function markers, including creatinine (r = -0.426) and BUN (r = -0.304). The AUCs for predicting 28-day mortality using LAMB2 mRNA and serum levels were 0.613 and 0.676, respectively.

Reduced LAMB2 levels were associated with organ dysfunction and poor outcomes in sepsis. Serum LAMB2 may serve as an independent predictor of disease severity and 28-day mortality.