title: Noninvasive measurement of intestinal inflammation after burn injury.
abstract: Intestinal inflammation has been linked with multiorgan failure in patients with burn and other traumatic injuries. We hypothesized that markers of intestinal inflammation are detectible noninvasively. Fecal samples were collected from seven severely burned patients and 15 control patients for the measurement of inflammatory cytokines using a multiplex assay kit. In addition, fecal levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase were measured using standard procedures. Compared with a control group, levels of inflammatory cytokines were significantly increased in the burn group. Interleukin (IL)-6 increased to a mean (± SEM) of 2.16 ± 0.61 to 3.81 ± 0.49 pg/mg (P < .05), as did IL-8 (3.32 ± 0.76 to 20.51 ± 6.65 pg/mg; P < .05), IL-12 (6.23±0.98 to 8.11±0.95pg/mg; P=0.01), IL-13 (3.86 ± 0.32 to 11.83 ± 1.47 pg/mg; P < .05), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (2.78 ± 2.61 to 6.5 ± 3.97 pg/mg; P < .05), MPO (13.41 ± 1.40 to 24.52 ± 4.31 units/mg protein; P < .05), and elastase (2.46 ± 0.38 to 5.08 ± 0.72 pg/mL; P < .05). Our results suggest that markers of intestinal inflammation are measurable by noninvasive means and are increased after burn injury compared with controls. Of note, increased IL-8 correlated with increased MPO and elastase activity, suggesting a role for neutrophil activation in burn-mediated intestinal inflammation. Thus, these inflammatory cytokine profiles may be valuable biomarkers of intestinal inflammation after burn injury.
authors.affiliation: From the *Burn and Shock Trauma Institute, †Department of Surgery, ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and §Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy Program, Loyola University Chicago, Health Sciences Campus, Maywood, Illinois.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sigman
authors.forename: Peggie
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.forename: Juan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rendon
authors.forename: Suhail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eberhardt
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gamelli
authors.forename: Mashkoor A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Choudhry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000032:analysis; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D009195:Peroxidase; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase