Frontiers in Medicine (Dec 2021)

Impact of Plasma 5 Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid, a Serotonin Metabolite, on Clinical Severity in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

  • Takeshi Tanaka,
  • Masahiko Mori,
  • Masato Tashiro,
  • Masato Tashiro,
  • Koichi Izumikawa,
  • Koichi Izumikawa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.785409
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

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Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by dysregulated vascular permeability. The clinical outcomes remain poor, and the disease burden is widespread. We demonstrated that plasma 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), a serotonin metabolite, is a pivotal severity indicator of ARDS. Serotonin is an effector of cellular contraction and a modulator of vascular permeability. Plasma 5-HIAA levels were significantly elevated in severe ARDS cases with shock status (p = 0.047) and positively correlated with SOFA (p < 0.0001) and APACHE-II score (p < 0.0001). In the longitudinal analysis, plasma 5-HIAA levels were also a strong independent predictor of mortality rate (p = 0.005). This study indicates that plasma 5-HIAA is a biomarker of ARDS severity and highlights the importance of evaluating vascular leakage levels for ARDS treatment.

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