Serum Soluble ST2 as a Novel Inflammatory Marker in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background: Soluble ST2 (sST2) receptor is secreted and detectable in human serum, which acts as a decoy receptor for interleukin (IL)-33 to prevent IL-33-mediated Th2 immune responses. Recently, elevated serum sST2 has been found to be a novel biomarker in cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and atherosclerosis. Here, we studied the role of sST2 in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and its relationship with several inflammatory markers. Methods: The study included 112 patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke, who were admitted within 48 hours after stroke onset. The serum levels of sST2 and IL-33 were measured with ELISA and the severity of AIS patients was evaluated based on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. The cerebral infarct volume was calculated according to the Pullicino formula based on the cranial CT scan or MRI. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and serum amyloid A protein (SAA) were measured using the latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay. Results: The serum sST2 level was significantly increased in patients with AIS compared to the control patients without AIS. In addition, the concentration of serum sST2 increased with the infarct volume and the severity of AIS evaluated based on the NIHSS score. Furthermore, the sST2 level correlated positively with the inflammatory marker hs-CRP. Conclusions: Our study suggests that sST2 may be used as a novel diagnostic and predicting inflammatory marker in AIS.