Clinical Value of Circulating Angiopoietin-like Protein 8/Betatrophin Levels in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

TL;DR

This study shows that lower levels of a protein called ANGPTL8 are linked to more severe cases of acute pancreatitis, suggesting it could be a useful biomarker for predicting disease severity.

Contribution

This is the first study to identify decreased ANGPTL8 levels as an independent predictor of acute pancreatitis severity.

Findings

ANGPTL8 levels were significantly lower in acute pancreatitis patients compared to healthy controls.

Lower ANGPTL8 levels correlated with higher disease severity as measured by the Glasgow–Imrie score.

A cut-off value of 179.2 ng/L for ANGPTL8 showed high accuracy in classifying disease severity.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disorder of the pancreas, with severe cases linked to a higher mortality rate. The prognosis of AP is influenced by factors such as necrosis, secondary infections, and organ failure. Tissue damage in AP is driven by the activation of leukocytes and the release of inflammatory mediators. Angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8), also known as betatrophin, is a recently discovered protein that regulates lipid metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ANGPTL8 levels and disease severity in AP patients, and to explore the potential of ANGPTL8 as a biomarker. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 50 patients diagnosed with AP who were admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine at Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital between September 2021 and February 2022. Additionally, 39 healthy volunteers who underwent a check-up at the same hospital served as the control group. The Glasgow–Imrie (GI) score was used to assess the severity of pancreatitis. Results: ANGPTL8 levels were found to be significantly lower in the AP group compared to the control group, with a statistically significant correlation between ANGPTL8 levels and the severity of AP (p < 0.05). The cut-off level of ANGPTL8 based on the GI score was determined to be 70.9 ng/L. The GI score for ANGPTL8 was 0.749 (95% CI: 0.606–0.861) (p < 0.001). The overall cut-off value for ANGPTL8 was 179.2 ng/L, with an overall classification rate of 0.936 (95% CI: 0.864–0.977) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that ANGPTL8 levels vary between patients with and without AP, with lower levels observed in AP patients. Our research is the first to identify decreased ANGPTL8 levels as an independent predictor of AP severity. ANGPTL8 may play a crucial role in regulating inflammation or metabolic dysfunction in AP. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings in larger populations and investigate ANGPTL8’s mechanistic role in AP. Longitudinal studies could help determine whether ANGPTL8 levels act as a biomarker for disease progression or treatment response, potentially paving the way for targeted therapies to improve outcomes for AP patients.

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