Clinical Value of Serum Interleukin-33 Biomarker in Infants With Neonatal Cholestasis.

OBJECTIVES

The present study aimed to estimate the value of serum interleukin-33 (IL-33) levels in infants with cholestasis, correlate serum IL-33 levels with the clinicopathological profile of infants with cholestasis, and compare its level with that of healthy infants who served as control.

METHODS

Sixty infants with cholestasis were enrolled in the present study and divided into biliary atresia (BA) group and non-BA group, in addition to 30 healthy infants as a control group. All infants were analyzed for their clinical and biochemical features, histopathological profile, and serum level of IL-33 by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay.

RESULTS

Serum level of IL-33 in BA group (median 48.0, interquartile range: 28.9-106.2) was significantly higher than that of the non-BA group (median 17.3, interquartile range: 13.7-18.8 pg/mL) and both were higher than that of the control group. There was a positive correlation between serum IL-33 and aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin (total and direct) levels, and fibrosis stage among the BA group. Serum IL-33 at a cut-off value of 20.8 pg/mL can detect BA with a specificity of 95% and a sensitivity of 96.7%.

CONCLUSION

The significantly higher production of IL-33 in patients with BA compared to non-BA suggests a potential role of IL-33 for initiation and progression of the disease process, also, IL-33 may have a diagnostic role in infants with BA.