Journal of Molecular Biomarkers & Diagnosis

The Long Pentraxin PTX3: A Biomarker Spanning From Cardiovascular Disorders to Cancer

Abstract

Marco Falasca,Fabrizia Bonacina, Alberico Luigi Catapano and Giuseppe Danilo Norata

Inflammatory mediators may play key roles in both atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disorders and in cancer development. Pentraxins are a family of proteins characterized by the structural motif pentraxin domain. Long pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a protein that in humans is encoded by the PTX3 gene, is rapidly produced and released by several cell types in response to inflammatory stimuli. This review discusses the evidence supporting the role of PTX3 in predicting primary cardiovascular events and diagnosis and prognosis of cancer.