Circulating histone H3 levels in septic patients are associated with coagulopathy, multiple organ failure, and death: a single-center observational study

Background Nuclear histone proteins are released into the extracellular space, and act as major mediators of coagulopathy and remote organ failure in septic animals. However, the circulating histone levels in septic patients have not been precisely quantified. Methods Using a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for histone H3 detection, we measured the serum histone H3 levels in 85 patients admitted to the intensive care unit because of infectious diseases. We then evaluated the associations of circulating histone H3 levels with organ failure, coagulopathy, and mortality. Results Circulating histone H3 levels were significantly higher in patients with coagulopathy, and were positively correlated with numbers of organ failures. Circulating histone H3 levels were also associated with fatal outcome. Receiver-operating characteristic analyses revealed that the predictive performance of circulating histone H3 levels for mortality was higher than that of conventional inflammatory markers, including white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, and cell-free DNA. Conclusions Circulating histone H3 levels are associated with coagulopathy, multiple organ failure, and death in patients requiring intensive care because of infectious diseases.