Biomarkers for acute mesenteric ischemia diagnosis: state of the art and perspectives.

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is one of the most severe diagnostic and therapeutic vital emergencies. This affection is characterized by the insufficient blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract, related to an occlusive or non-occlusive mechanism, resulting in an ischemic and inflammatory injury that may progress to necrosis of the intestinal wall. The clinical picture is nonspecific, dominated by acute abdominal pain. At present, no early biological marker is commonly used in clinical practice for diagnostic purposes. The purpose of this review was to review the markers that have been evaluated in this condition. Among the biological blood markers which have shown a diagnostic interest in the IMA, there are notably the two stereoisomers of lactate (D and L), D-dimers, and alpha glutathione transferase. More specific markers include the intestinal fatty acid binding protein or I-FABP, which is a marker of enterocyte necrosis, citrulline, a marker of enterocyte mass, or Smooth muscle protein 22 (SM22) marker for muscle damage. The early diagnosis of intestinal ischemia remains a challenge. It is likely that in the future IMA's biomarker research will be better customized and adapted to the physiopathological mechanism. More global approaches (proteomics, metabolomics) should also make it possible to identify new biomarkers.