• Grgur Salai, Marko Zelenika, Stela Hrkač, Vladimir Trkulja, Joško Bilandžić, Ivica Grgurević, Ruđer Novak, and Lovorka Grgurević.
• Lovorka Grgurević, Center for Translational and Clinical Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Šalata 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, lovorka.grgurevic@mef.hr.
• Croat. Med. J. 2021 Jun 30; 62 (3): 264-269.

AimTo assess the potential of the soluble transforming growth factor β receptor type III (sTGFβrIII), a key regulator in TGFβ signaling, as a biomarker for diagnosis and stratification of patients with acute pancreatitis (AP).MethodsIn this small prospective pilot study, patients' (N=22) plasma samples were obtained at three time points: the first and fourth day of hospitalization and the day of hospital discharge. Healthy controls' plasma (N=25) was obtained at a single time point. Concentration of sTGFβrIII in plasma was determined by ELISA. Data were analyzed by fitting linear or linear mixed models.ResultsPlasma sTGFβrIII levels at presentation (day 1) were similar in AP patients and healthy participants, irrespectively of the disease severity. sTGFβrIII levels in patients were constant during hospital stay.ConclusionThese observations do not support further evaluation of plasma sTGFβrIII levels in this setting, but do not exclude a potential biological role of TGFβ and membrane-bound TGFβrIII in AP pathophysiology.

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