Analysis of the prognostic efficacy of syndecan-1 for patients with ACLF and its functional role in liver regeneration

Abstract Background Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome characterized by systemic inflammation with a high short-term mortality rate. Syndecan-1 (SDC-1) can independently predict the 90-day mortality of patients with septic shock. However, the role of SDC-1 in ACLF remains unknown. M...

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Main Authors: Yingli He, Xiaoli Zhang, Yichen Yao, Juan Li, Shan Fu, Yali Feng, Tianzhi Ni, Ruojing Wang, Qiao Zhang, Yushan Liu, Zhijun Liu, Jinfeng Liu, Yuan Yang, Yingren Zhao, Yalei Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-02-01
Series:BMC Medicine
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03931-4
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Summary:Abstract Background Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome characterized by systemic inflammation with a high short-term mortality rate. Syndecan-1 (SDC-1) can independently predict the 90-day mortality of patients with septic shock. However, the role of SDC-1 in ACLF remains unknown. Methods In this study, serum SDC-1 levels were examined in 2 cohorts, which included 174 ACLF patients. And a mouse ACLF model induced by tetrachloride, lipopolysaccharide, and D-galactosamine was established, to evaluate the effects of sulodexide and heparan sulfate (side chains of SDC-1) on ACLF in vivo. Results Baseline serum SDC-1 levels in 101 ACLF patients (847.72, 499.79–1511.37 ng/ml) were significantly higher than in healthy controls (33.58, 27.08–43.34 ng/ml) (P < 0.0001). The baseline SDC-1 levels of patients who died or accepted a liver transplantation within 90 days were markedly higher than those of patients who survived (P < 0.05). A novel prognostic model (UIAS) based on upper gastrointestinal bleeding, INR, age, and SDC-1 was developed. The AUROC of the UIAS score for 28-day deterioration in ACLF patients was 0.884, indicating an obviously greater predictive performance for the outcomes of ACLF than those of the Child‐Pugh (AUROC = 0.646), MELD (AUROC = 0.713), and COSSH‐ACLF II scores (AUROC = 0.713). Moreover, we found that heparan sulfate and sulodexide could increase the expression of SDC-1 and attenuate liver injury, by promoting liver regeneration and inhibiting cell apoptosis through the activation of JAK1/STAT3 signalling. Conclusions Collectively, our findings suggest that SDC-1 represents a potential prognostic and therapeutic target for ACLF and should be further investigated.
ISSN:1741-7015