Tissue Olink Proteomics Analysis Reveals CCL17 as a Potential Biomarker in Patients With Pressure Ulcers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pressure ulcer (PU) typically arises as a chronic cutaneous ulcer stemming from a complex interplay of factors. However, the underlying mechanisms of this condition remain unclear. The aim of this study was to identify inflammatory biomarkers in patients with PU. In this study, PU and normal tissues were collected from 24 patients with PU. An exploratory Olink Inflammation Panel analysis was performed to identify candidate differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between PU and normal tissue samples from 16 of the 24 patients with PU. A total of 16 candidate DEPs were identified using an unadjusted p < 0.05 threshold between the two groups. Among them, CCL17 had the largest fold change and diagnostic potential with an optimal AUC value (0.75). In addition, CCL17, ANGPT1, FASLG, and VEGFA demonstrated high clinical relevance in the patients with PU. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting using PU tissues obtained from the remaining 8 patients confirmed the decreased expression of CCL17 in PU tissues. In conclusion, CCL17 is a novel potential biomarker for PU pathogenesis and prognosis.