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. 1999;3(1):11-16.
doi: 10.1186/cc300.

Elevated calcitonin precursor levels are related to mortality in an animal model of sepsis

PM Steinwald  1 , KT Whang, KL Becker, RH Snider, ES Nylen, JC White
Affiliations

Elevated calcitonin precursor levels are related to mortality in an animal model of sepsis

PM Steinwald et al. Crit Care. 1999.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Increased serum levels of procalcitonin (ProCT) and its component peptides have been reported in humans with sepsis. Using a hamster model of bacterial peritonitis, we investigated whether serum ProCT levels are elevated and correlate with mortality and hypocalcemia. RESULTS: Incremental increases in doses of bacteria resulted in proportional increases in 72h mortality rates (0, 20, 70, and 100%) as well as increases in serum total immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) levels at 12 h (250, 380, 1960, and 4020 pg/ml, respectively, vs control levels of 21 pg/ml). Gel filtration studies revealed that ProCT was the predominant (> 90%) molecular form of serum iCT secreted. In the metabolic experiments, total iCT peaked at 12 h concurrent with the maximal decrease in serum calcium. CONCLUSIONS: In this animal model, hyper-procalcitoninemia was an early systemic marker of sepsis which correlated closely with mortality and had an inverse correlation with serum calcium levels.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The procalcitonin (ProCT) molecule and its components. AminoproCT = amino terminus of procalcitonin; immature CT = the 33 amino acid, non-amidated CT; CCP-I = calcitonin carboxyterminus peptide-I. In normal people, in addition to the free, active, mature CT, small amounts of ProCT, aminoproCT, CCP-I, the conjoined CT:CCP-I peptide, and the immature CT circulate [18]. The amino acid sequence of the rat mature CT is very similar to that of humans, and the sequence of hamster CT, although not yet known, reveals, by immunoassay studies, a marked homology with the rat.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relationship between inoculum of Escherichia coli and mortality. Low dose = 1.0 × 108 cfu/pellet, medium dose = 5.0 × 108 cfu/pellet, high dose = 1.0 × 109 cfu/pellet, and highest dose = 2.0 × 109 cfu/pellet. Mortality for low dose was 0%. *Significantly different from other groups per Chi-square analysis, P < 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between inoculum of Escherichia coli and total immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT). Low dose = 1.0 × 108 cfu/pellet, medium dose = 5.0 × 108 cfu/pellet, high dose = 1.0 × 109 cfu/pellet, and highest dose = 2.0 × 109 cfu/pellet. *Statistically distinct, except between low and medium doses, per one-way ANOVA, P = 0.001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of chromatographs from septic human serum (a) and pooled septic hamster serum (b). The dominant peak in each graph has an estimated elution position of 0.2 KaV, which corresponds to the elution position of human procalcitonin (ProCT) [17]. CT, calcitonin; CT:CCP-1, conjoined calcitonin:calcitonin carboxypeptide-I.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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