Human syngeneic intestinal transplantation: evaluation of enterocyte viability with serum levels of intestinal fatty acid binding protein.

In a case of human syngeneic intestinal transplantation, the post-operative course was complicated by the Systemic Inflammatory Response System (SIRS). This syndrome was characterized by negative cultures and elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF. In keeping with current concepts of translocation across the enterocyte barrier as the etiology of SIRS, levels of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP), an enterocyte-specific protein, also increased. These observations suggest that (i) a clinical syndrome consistent with translocation may occur in the absence of rejection in intestinal transplantation, and (ii) I-FABP may serve as a clinically relevant marker for enterocyte injury.

Duke Scholars

Author Paul C. Kuo Surgery