Abstract :
[en] Itaconic acid is produced by mammalian leukocytes upon pro-inflammatory
activation. It appears to inhibit bacterial growth and to rewire the metabolism of
the host cell by inhibiting succinate dehydrogenase. Yet, it is unknown whether
itaconic acid acts only intracellularly, locally in a paracrine fashion, or whether it is
even secreted from the inflammatory cells at meaningful levels in peripheral blood
of patients with severe inflammation or sepsis.
The aim of this study was to determine the release rate of itaconic acid from
pro-inflammatory activated macrophages in vitro and to test for the abundance of
itaconic acid in bodyfluids of patients suffering from acute inflammation.
We demonstrate that excretion of itaconic acid happens at a low rate and that it
cannot be detected in significant amounts in plasma or urine of septic patients or in
liquid from bronchial lavage of patients with pulmonary inflammation.
We conclude that itaconic acid may serve as a pro-inflammatory marker in
immune cells but that it does not qualify as a biomarker in the tested body fluids.
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