AUTHOR=Tanaka Takeshi , Mori Masahiko , Tashiro Masato , Izumikawa Koichi 

TITLE=Impact of Plasma 5 Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid, a Serotonin Metabolite, on Clinical Severity in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.785409

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.785409

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p>Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by dysregulated vascular permeability. The clinical outcomes remain poor, and the disease burden is widespread. We demonstrated that plasma 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), a serotonin metabolite, is a pivotal severity indicator of ARDS. Serotonin is an effector of cellular contraction and a modulator of vascular permeability. Plasma 5-HIAA levels were significantly elevated in severe ARDS cases with shock status (<italic>p</italic> = 0.047) and positively correlated with SOFA (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001) and APACHE-II score (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001). In the longitudinal analysis, plasma 5-HIAA levels were also a strong independent predictor of mortality rate (<italic>p</italic> = 0.005). This study indicates that plasma 5-HIAA is a biomarker of ARDS severity and highlights the importance of evaluating vascular leakage levels for ARDS treatment.</p>