I-FABP marcador molecular de isquemia intestinal precoce

Abstract

Introduction: Acute intestinal ischemia requires a high level of suspicion to be diagnosed because its clinical findings are poorly specific, although it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There are currently no precise and specific biomarkers to diagnose intestinal ischemia. The development of a biomarker capable of predicting early bowel ischemia would be of great utility in clinical practice. I-FABP is a low molecular weight cytosolic protein that is specifically present in mature small and large intestine enterocytes and is released in situations of intestinal ischemia. The focus of this review article will be on I-FABP as a possible new laboratory marker for early diagnosis of acute intestinal ischemia. Methods: The research was conducted in PubMed and collected a total of 69 articles, including cross-references. Results/Discussion: Plasma and urinary I-FABP levels were found to increase in acute intestinal ischemia at an early stage. There is an association between increased I-FABP levels and longer ischemia time and greater intestinal ischemic damage. I-FABP allowed to distinguish between groups of individuals with ischemia from groups of healthy individuals. It also distinguished between patients with intestinal ischemia and patients with other causes of non-ischemic acute abdomen. Urinary I-FABP demonstrated even higher diagnostic acuity than plasma I-FABP. Conclusion: I-FABP showed up as a promising intestinal ischemia marker, and the results confirm that. However, more extensive studies should be made to validate the diagnostic utility of I-FABP in the context of acute intestinal ischemia.