Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein is a useful diagnostic marker for mesenteric infarction in humans.
OBJECTIVE
Acute ischemic diseases of the small bowel are lethal emergencies with no reliable diagnostic biochemical tests available. Experimental studies have suggested rat intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) as a serum marker reflecting bowel ischemia; the present study evaluates the human homologue (human I-FABP) as a serum marker for the diagnosis of acute ischemic diseases of the bowel.


METHODS
Enzyme immunoassay was applied to determine I-FABP levels in the sera of 96 subjects: 13 preoperative patients with ischemic bowel diseases (5 cases of mesenteric infarction and 8 cases of strangulated obstruction of the small bowel), 35 healthy subjects, and 48 hospitalized patients with acute abdominal pain.


RESULTS
Serum I-FABP levels were < 65 ng/mL in healthy subjects. In patients with acute abdominal pain, levels ranged from < 20 to 87 ng/mL (mean, 27.4 ng/mL), not significantly different from findings in healthy subjects. However, patients with ischemic bowel disease showed significantly higher I-FABP levels, ranging from < 20 to 1496 ng/mL (mean, 265.8 ng/mL). All 5 patients with mesenteric infarction showed I-FABP levels of > 100 ng/mL.


CONCLUSIONS
I-FABP is a useful biochemical marker for the accurate diagnosis of mesenteric infarction.
Kanda
T
T
Department of Surgery, Niigata University School of Medicine, Japan.
Fujii
H
H
Tani
T
T
Murakami
H
H
Suda
T
T
Sakai
Y
Y
Ono
T
T
Hatakeyama
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007238:Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000098:blood supply; D007511:Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008643:Mesentery / Q000098:blood supply*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018996:Myelin P2 Protein / Q000097:blood*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
D015415:Biomarkers; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C107608:FABP7 protein, human; C490174:Fabp7 protein, rat; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D018996:Myelin P2 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins