Role of High Mobility Group Box 1 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Patients Undergoing Valvular Heart Surgery

One of the most important factor that affects the post op complication of the cardiac surgery is systemic inflammation. Valvular heart surgery requires cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest, which can arouse the ischemic/reperfusion injury causing myocardial damage and inflammatory response. These myocardial damage and inflammatory response can cause multi-organ failure or even death.

High-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) is a protein which is encoded by the HMGB1 gene in human. HMGB1 is secreted by immune cells (like macrophages, monocytes and dendritic cells). Activated macrophages and monocytes secrete HMGB1 as a cytokine mediator of Inflammation. There are many studies suggesting the relationship between HMGB1 and acute coronary syndrome, myocardial ischemic/reperfusion injury, atherosclerosis, heart failure and other cardiac disease as a marker for inflammatory response. However, there are no other study evaluating HMGB1 as a prognostic factor after valvular surgery, so far.