Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic values of plasma levels of vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) for diagnosing acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI).
Methods: The study used a randomized, controlled experimental design. Forty-two female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three control groups and three ischemia groups. Plasma VAP-1 and I-FABP levels were measured, and the extent of ischemic damage was determined using a histopathological damage score in terminal ileum tissue samples.
Results: In the early phase of AMI (i.e. at the 30-min time point), VAP-1 levels did not differ between the control and ischemia groups (p > 0.05), but I-FABP levels were significantly higher in the ischaemia groups (p = 0.017). Although both VAP-1 and I-FABP levels increased in the ischaemia groups, only VAP-1 levels showed a significant increase compared to the control group at the 2-h time point (p = 0.011). Ischemic damages associated with AMI became the most prominent at the 6-h time point. During this phase, both VAP-1 and I-FABP levels were significantly higher in the ischemia groups than in the control groups (p = 0.007 and p = 0.002, respectively). Both VAP-1 and I-FABP levels showed a significant correlation with ischemic changes, but a higher correlation was observed for VAP-1 levels (r = 0.771).
Conclusions: Both I-FABP and VAP-1 levels were useful for diagnosing AMI, but VAP-1 levels correlated better with the extent of ischaemic damage.
Keywords: Acute Mesenteric Ischemia; I-FABP; VAP-1.