Increased serum chemerin concentration in patients with chronic pancreatitis

Background: Chemerin is a potent chemoattractant for chemokine-like receptor 1 expressing cells and is involved in inflammatory and immune processes that play an important role in chronic pancreatitis. Aim: To test the hypothesis that serum chemerin concentration may be affected in chronic pancreatitis patients and that chemerin can influence the course of chronic pancreatitis by increasing profibrotic cytokine production. Methods: Serum concentrations of chemerin and the major cytokines involved in pancreatic fibrosis such as platelet-derived growth factor BB and transforming growth factor beta-1 were determined by ELISA in samples from 40 nondiabetic and 28 diabetic male patients with chronic pancreatitis of alcoholic origin and 40 age-matched healthy controls. Results: Serum concentrations of chemerin were increased both in nondiabetic and diabetic chronic pancreatitis patients compared to controls. Moreover, in chronic pancreatitis patients a positive correlation was found between serum chemerin and platelet-derived growth factor BB as well as transforming growth factor beta-1 concentrations. Conclusions: The results indicate for the first time that: (a) chronic pancreatitis in humans is associated with an increased serum chemerin concentration and (b) serum chemerin concentration correlates with serum concentrations of the major profibrotic cytokines. Elevated level of chemerin, by stimulating macrophage infiltration of the pancreas, might lead to overproduction of platelet-derived growth factor BB and transforming growth factor beta-1 and, consequently, to pancreatic fibrosis. (C) 2011 Editrice Gastroenterologica ltaliana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.