Role of serum high-motility group box-1 (HMGB1) concentration as a prognostic factor in canine acute pancreatitis: A pilot study

High-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is an intranuclear molecule that is released extracellularly in cytotoxic conditions. In acute pancreatitis, extracellular HMGB1 acts as a stimulating factor in the mechanism associated with pancreatic injury. To evaluate the prognostic property of serum HMGB1 levels at the time of diagnosis of pancreatitis, the blood samples collected over 10 months from canine patients in Seoul National University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (n = 29). The HMGB1 levels were measured with ELISA kit and results were analyzed correlation with patient's death, hospitalization cost and period. HMGB1 levels in patients with acute pancreatitis (mean = 76 ng/mL, standard deviation [SD] = 46.99 ng/mL) were higher than that of normal individuals (mean = 31.65 ng/mL, SD = 18.41 ng/mL, p = 0.0082). Similarly, non-survivors demonstrated statistically significant difference than the survivors (p = 0.008). Clinical severity of acute pancreatitis was categorized into three stages: mild, moderate, and severe based on the disease activity index (DAI). The HMGB1 levels and mortality were associated with moderate DAI (p = 0.0236). However, the correlation between serum HMGB1 and patients' hospitalization period and cost were not found to be significant (R² = 0.01991). The evaluation of serum HMGB1 level at the time of diagnosis was identified as a potential prognostic factor to estimate the prognosis of acute pancreatitis in canines.