S100A12 expression in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis

Objectives: S100 calcium binding protein A12 (S100A12) has been supposed to be a pro-inflammatory factor associated with non-infectious inflammatory diseases. However, whether S100A12 is involved in the inflammatory process of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has not been shown.Methods: The levels of S100A12 mRNA transcripts in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) of 66 Chinese patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), 62 healthy controls (HC) and 55 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were measured by qRT-PCR. S100A12 serum concentrations in 34 PBC patients were measured by ELISA.Results: The levels of S100A12 mRNA transcripts in PBMCs of patients with PBC were significantly higher than healthy controls (p < 0.01) and that of patients with CHB (p < 0.01). Importantly, the levels of S100A12 mRNA in PBMCs and S100A12 protein levels in serum were positively correlated with biochemical indicators of bile duct and hepatocyte damage.Conclusion: S100A12 might participate in the damage of biliary epithelial cells and hepatocytes in PBC, and analysis of S100A12 expression could be useful as a surrogate marker for the evaluation of PBC activity.