The APC-PCI complex is formed in blood circulation upon activation of protein C (PC) and is therefore a marker of PC activation. PC is synthesized in the liver and is activated by thrombin. Activated protein C (APC) splits several blood coagulation factors limiting blood coagulation, and thereby working as an anticoagulant. It is also thought to play an anti-inflammatory role. When APC is produced within the circulation, it undergoes inactivation by reacting with several protease inhibitors, including Protein C inhibitor (PCI) which appears to be of the greatest physiological importance. The inhibition complex is known as the APC-PCI complex.

APC-PCI - A potential marker for evaluating sepsis patients for APC treatment

Sepsis is a devastating disorder characterized by systemic activation of the inflammatory and coagulation cascades in response to microbial infection. Apart from antimicrobial therapy, the infusion of human recombinant APC (Xigris®, Eli Lilly) is the only treatment documented to reduce the mortality of sepsis patients. Much effort is being invested into finding a way of predicting which sepsis patients are most likely to benefit from this treatment. The effect of Xigris® has been modest (1) so far, largely due to the fact that qualifying the right patients for this drug has been a challenge. Now, a study of APC-PCI levels in sepsis patients conducted by BioPorto Diagnostics, suggests that measuring APC-PCI levels may find a role in predicting outcome and guiding treatment with APC (2).

APC-PCI in coagulation

APC-PCI levels are elevated in several thrombotic conditions, and measuring APC-PCI levels may be relevant in several conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, myocardial infarctions and aortic aneurysms (3, 4, 5).

Kit features

• Highly reproducible and easy to use
  
  • Precoated microwell strips that can be used as strips of 8 or as individual wells
  • All incubations performed at room temperature
• All components are stored at 2-8ºC
• Only standard ELISA equipment is required