BACKGROUND: The scavenger receptor for complexes hemoglobin-haptoglobin (CD163), which is expressed on monocytes/ macrophages, is shed to the body fluids in a soluble form (sCD163). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the dynamics of sCD163 in the blood of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-one adult patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were enrolled in the study. They were assigned to undergo CABG using either cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), "on-pump", (22 patients), modified CPB, mini "on-pump", (17 patients) or without CPB, "off-pump", (22 patients) surgery. Serum levels of sCD163 in venous blood samples taken before and after surgery, and during an early postoperative period, were evaluated by Macro 163(TM) diagnostic kit (IQ Products, Groningen, NL). RESULTS: Compared to the preoperative levels ("on-pump"; 344 ng/mL, "off-pump"; 314.5 ng/mL, mini-invasive "on-pump"; 336.5 ng/mL) serum levels were elevated at the finish of surgery, reaching maximum at the 1(st) postoperative day ("onpump"; 658 ng/mL; p<0.05, "off-pump"; 810.5 ng/mL; p<0.01; mini-invasive "on-pump"; 663 ng/mL; non-significant).No significant differences regarding the serum levels of sCD163 between different surgical approaches were found. CONCLUSION: Serum level of sCD163 scavenger molecule for hemoglobin is elevated at the end of surgery and at the 1(st) postoperative day, being little influenced by cardiopulmonary bypass.

Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Charles University Prague Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Hradec Kralove Hradec Kralove