Examination of soluble Fas (sFas) and soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) in patients with burns

The FasL–Fas system is one of the recognized apoptosis-inducing systems, and has been determined to have important functions in relation to homeostasis and biological defense mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the serum levels of soluble Fas (sFas), soluble FasL (sFasL) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in patients with burns. The sFas levels were found to be significantly higher in the patients who eventually died as compared to those in the patients who survived (3.9±1.8 ng/ml versus 2.6±1.0 ng/ml). On the other hand, the sFasL levels were significantly higher in the patients who survived (61.5±29.9 ng/ml versus 37.2±14.4 ng/ml) than in those who eventually died. A positive correlation was noted between the TNF-α level and the sFas level, and a negative correlation was observed between the TNF-α level and the sFasL level. These findings suggest that worsening of the condition of a burns patient may be related to changes in the Fas–FasL system.