title: Fecal calprotectin as a promising marker of inflammatory diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Calprotectin is a calcium binding protein present predominantly in neutrophils with antimicrobial and antiprolipherative activities. Calprotectin concentration is higher in feces than in plasma and significantly increased levels of fecal calprotectin (FC) were found in patients with bowel inflammation disease (IBD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen out-patients with IBD, comprising 14 Crohn's disease (CD) individuals and 5 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, and 5 healthy volunteers were investigated. Fecal calprotectin was analyzed by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that patients with IBD had significantly higher concentration of FC than in healthy children (FC median 1076.7 vs 19.5 microg/g of stool, p = 0.0053). We determined higher level of FC in patients with CD than in UC (1132.4 vs 490.98 microg/g of stool), but not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It has been proved that FC represents a surrogate marker of neutrophils influx into the bowel lumen; hence it can be regarded as a simple and non-invasive marker of intestinal inflammation (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 38). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. zuzik78@gmail.com
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Paduchova
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Durackova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex