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Review
. 2016 Jul-Aug;21(4):308-321.
doi: 10.5863/1551-6776-21.4.308.

Calprotectin: Clinical Applications in Pediatrics

Oscar R Herrera  1 , Michael L Christensen  2 , Richard A Helms  2
Affiliations
Review

Calprotectin: Clinical Applications in Pediatrics

Oscar R Herrera et al. J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2016 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

As seen over the past 20 years, calprotectin has evolved as a novel, non-invasive biomarker of gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation. We present this review of calprotectin in pediatrics. This article will focus on studies using calprotectin concentrations from different body fluids to monitor inflammation in different disease states and conditions. The ultimate goal of our group is to lay down a foundation as we consider using calprotectin prospectively as a marker of intestinal inflammation that could lead to further testing and possibly a marker of preparedness for feeding. We surveyed all published studies in English of calprotectin in neonates, infants, children, and adolescents through February 2014. We will discuss calprotectin's basic properties and analysis such as characteristics, identification, presence in body fluids, and maturational development. In addition, calprotectin's use in inflammatory diseases exploring both GI and non-GI conditions will be evaluated and compared with other serum markers presently available. Finally, a summary of our findings and discussion of future work that could be undertaken in order to render calprotectin as a more useful monitoring tool to the medical research community will complete the review.

Keywords: biomarker; inflammation; leukocyte L1 antigen complex; pediatric.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The heterotetramer structure of calprotectin. S100A8 chains (upper left); S100A9 chains (upper right); CA501 and CA502 sites where Ca2+ ions (spheres) bind. C and N denote protein termini (with permission from Elsevier)
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Factors possibly contributing to increased fecal expression of calprotectin in early infancy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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