UCP2 in early diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: Sepsis, a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by infection, is a serious threat to the lives of patients. Sepsis can cause tissue hypoperfusion and septic shock which leads to organ dysfunction and death via a variety of mechanisms. Mitochondrial protein (UCP2) involves in immune response, regulation of oxidative stress, and maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential as well as energy production. However, the role of UCP2 in sepsis remains to be further explored. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 156 patients with sepsis from our hospital were included in this study (69 patients with sepsis and 87 patients with severe sepsis). A total of 69 healthy volunteers were included as controls. Levels of UCP2 in blood cells before and after treatment were measured using RT-PCR and Western blot. The correlation between levels of UCP2 and sepsis was analyzed. RESULTS: The level of UCPPC2 in blood cells of sepsis patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls at both mRNA level and protein level. The expression level of UCP2 in blood cells of sepsis patients was significantly reduced after treatment, compared to that before treatment. No significant difference was found in the level of UCP2 in blood cells of healthy controls before and after treatment ((p=0.45). Also, the level of UCP2 in blood cells of patients with severe sepsis was significantly higher than that of patients with sepsis at the protein level (p<0.05). Moreover, a positive correlation was found between the level of UCP2 protein and the severity of sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: UCP2 in blood cells might be a specific biomarker for sepsis and the level of UCP2 is positively correlated with the severity of sepsis.