Prognostic value of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) has been utilized as a prognostic indicator for sepsis patients; however, the findings have been inconsistent. This meta-analysis seeks to elucidate the prognostic significance of MCP-1 in individuals diagnosed with sepsis.

METHODS

We systematically queried four databases (Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library) to identify studies published from the establishment of the databases until January 2025. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were employed to evaluate the prognostic significance of MCP-1 in this patient population. In our study, the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale was evaluated for quality assessment, and Funnel plot was used for publication offset.

RESULTS

A total of 592 patients from eight studies were included in the evaluation. The findings revealed that MCP-1 levels were significantly elevated in non-survivors compared to those who survived [SMD = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.25-0.82, P = 0.0002]. Our study demonstrated that elevated levels of MCP-1 were significantly associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with sepsis, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.36 (95% confidence interval: 1.25-1.48; P < 0.00001) using a random-effects model. The funnel plot indicated no publication bias.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis suggests that elevated levels of MCP-1 could serve as a valuable prognostic indicator in sepsis patients, however, this conclusion still requires validation through higher-quality studies with longer-term follow-up.