Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers for Sepsis-Associated Liver Injury: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Hepatology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Sepsis-associated liver injury (SALI) is a severe complication of sepsis with poor ICU prognosis.
• Current diagnostic criteria for SALI lack consensus, hindering timely intervention.
• Traditional biomarkers (ALT, AST, bilirubin) show limited specificity and sensitivity for SALI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing and novel biomarkers for sepsis-associated liver injury (SALI).
• To highlight the limitations of current diagnostic and prognostic tools for SALI.
• To guide future research in identifying effective SALI biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of traditional and novel biomarkers for SALI.
• Analysis of biomarker utility in early diagnosis and prognostic assessment.
• Evaluation of limitations associated with microRNAs, DEGs, and HMGB1 in SALI.

Main Results:

• Traditional biomarkers like ALT, AST, and bilirubin are insufficient for accurate SALI diagnosis.
• Novel biomarkers including microRNAs, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and HMGB1 show potential but have limitations.
• No single biomarker currently offers definitive diagnostic or prognostic value for SALI.

Conclusions:

• Effective biomarkers are crucial for early SALI diagnosis and prognosis.
• Novel biomarkers require further validation to overcome current limitations.
• Future research should focus on identifying superior biomarkers for SALI management.