Aim: To explore the expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM-1) mRNA in acute pancreatitis (AP).
Methods: Using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we examined the expression of TREM-1 mRNA in 10 cases of mild acute pancreatitis (MAP), 8 cases of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and 10 cases of healthy control subjects. And we also examined the expression of TREM-1 mRNA in 14 cases of AP (including 10 MAP and 4 SAP) before treatment, after successful therapy and clinically cured.
Results: The expression of TREM-1 mRNA in the groups of MAP, SAP patients and healthy control subjects was 0.771+/-0.274, 1.092+/-0.331 and 0.459+/-0.175, respectively; there was a significant difference among the three groups (P<0.05). And there was also a significant difference between the AP patients (0.914+/-0.341) and healthy control subjects (0.459+/-0.175) (P<0.05). Moreover, in the 14 cases of AP, before treatment, after successful therapy and clinically cured, the expression of TREM-1 mRNA was 0.905+/-0.226, 0.739+/-0.169 and 0.633+/-0.140, respectively, and there was a significant difference among the three stages (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The expression of TREM-1 mRNA in the patients with AP increases obviously, and correlates with the degree of AP. Furthermore, the expression of TREM-1 mRNA is distinctly different at the different stages of AP. It indicates TREM-1 may play an important role in the occurrence and development of AP.