Parameter
| Biomarker | Fecal Calprotectin (FCP) | Full name | Fecal Calprotectin | Molecular Type | Protein (calcium-binding protein) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Molecular Formula | Human calprotectin (S100A8/S100A9 heterodimer): C₁₈₄H₂₈₆N₄₈O₅₄S₄ | Molecular Weight | ~24 kDa | Core Functional Dimensions | Assessment of intestinal inflammatory activity, monitoring of disease activity, and differential diagnosis (organic vs. functional bowel disease) |
| Disease | Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) | Disease Subtypes | / | ||
| Organ | Intestine | Test Sample / Technology Platform | Stool (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ELISA, immunochromatography, latexenhanced immunoturbidimetry) | ||
| Pathobiological Mechanisms | Calprotectin is mainly synthesized and released by neutrophils, and a small amount of calprotectin is derived from monocytes and epithelial cells. Calprotectin has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects. During the onset of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD, including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), the intestinal mucosa has an immune inflammatory response, and neutrophils infiltrate and activate in large numbers, releasing calprotectin into the intestinal lumen and excreted with feces. The level of calprotective protein in feces is directly related to the severity of intestinal mucosal inflammation and the number of neutrophil infiltration, which can reflect the activity of intestinal inflammation. It is not affected by extrintestinal inflammation (such as respiratory tract infection), and specifically points to local intestinal inflammation. | ||||
| Clinical Availability Status | It has become a core biomarker recommended by the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of IBD. It is widely used in the differentiation of IBD and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), assessment of disease activity (such as guiding the timing of endoscopy), and monitoring of treatment response. | ||||
| Notes and Dynamics | Fecal calprotectin is a "landmark" marker in the clinical management of IBD. It has the advantages of non-invasive, convenient and high specificity (for local intestinal inflammation), which can reduce unnecessary endoscopy and reduce the burden of patients. However, it should be noted that intestinal infection (such as bacterial and parasitic infection), colorectal tumor and other diseases may also lead to a mild increase in fecal calprotective protein. Clinical diagnosis should be based on symptoms, medical history and other examinations. In addition, it has limited value in the identification of IBD subtypes (UC vs CD), so it should be used in combination with other indicators. | ||||