Soluble CD14 (sCD14) levels in patients with multiple organ failure (MOF)

We measured soluble CD14 (sCD14), plasma endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-6, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in patients with multiple organ failure (MOF). The sCD14 level was significantly higher in septic patients with MOF than that in those without MOF and also higher in non-septic trauma patients with MOF than that in those without MOF. In the septic group with MOF, the sCD14 level correlated significantly with the TNF-alpha level but not the plasma endotoxin, IL-1 beta, IL-6, or IFN-gamma level. These results suggest that the sCD14 level reflects the degree of pathophysiology and that TNF-alpha is involved in stimulating sCD14 production.