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. 2025 Jun 17:18:7921-7931.
doi: 10.2147/JIR.S527630. eCollection 2025.

The Combined Diagnostic Value of Serum Trefoil Factor 2 and microRNA-186-5p for Evaluating Disease Severity in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

Zhijian Fang  1 , Hong Zhao  1 , Yongpeng Cheng  1 , Long Yu  1
Affiliations

The Combined Diagnostic Value of Serum Trefoil Factor 2 and microRNA-186-5p for Evaluating Disease Severity in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

Zhijian Fang et al. J Inflamm Res. .

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the association of serum Trefoil Factor 2 (TFF2) and microRNA-186-5p (miR-186-5p) levels with the severity and prognosis of acute pancreatitis (AP).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 380 AP patients, classified into mild to moderately severe (mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) and moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP), n=205) and severe (SAP, n=175) groups. Serum TFF2 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and miR-186-5p expression was quantified via reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Correlations with inflammatory markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were assessed using Pearson analysis. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for SAP.

Results: Compared with the MAP&MSAP group, the SAP group showed significantly elevated TFF2, hs-CRP, IL-18, TNF-α levels, and APACHE II scores, while miR-186-5p levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). TFF2 levels were positively correlated with inflammatory markers and APACHE II scores (r = 0.427-0.546), whereas miR-186-5p levels showed negative correlations (r = -0.431 to -0.570; all P < 0.05). TFF2 and miR-186-5p levels were inversely correlated (r = -0.483, P < 0.05). ROC analysis yielded AUCs of 0.804 for TFF2, 0.832 for miR-186-5p, and 0.895 for their combination in predicting SAP. Logistic regression identified TFF2 as an independent risk factor and miR-186-5p as a protective factor for SAP (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Elevated serum TFF2 level and reduced miR-186-5p level were found to be associated with increased AP severity. These biomarkers may serve as useful indicators for assessing disease severity and prognosis in AP.

Keywords: acute pancreatitis; disease severity; miR-186-5p; prognosis; relationship; serum TFF2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart illustrating the patient inclusion process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
TFF2 and miR-186-5p expression levels in the MAP&MSAP group (black circles) and SAP group (magenta squares). Error bars represent the standard error of the mean (SEM). Statistical significance was assessed using Student’s t-test. P < 0.05 was considered significant, as indicated by @.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Levels of hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-18, and APACHE II scores in the MAP&MSAP group (black circles) and SAP group (magenta squares). Error bars represent the standard error of the mean (SEM). Statistical comparisons between groups were performed using Student’s t-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, as indicated by @.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation Between miR-186-5p and TFF2.
Figure 5
Figure 5
ROC Curve of Diagnostic Value of Serum TFF2 and miR-186-5p Levels for SAP.
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