Analysis of the correlation between serum MIF, MCP-1, and IL-6 levels and the formation of pseudocysts in patients with acute severe pancreatitis

To investigate the relationship between early-stage (48–72 h after onset) serum levels of migration inhibitory factor (MIF), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients and late-stage (after four weeks) pancreatic pseudocyst (PPC) development. 121 SAP patients from Zhoukou Central Hospital (September 2022–June 2024) had their clinical data collected and serum biomarker levels measured via ELISA. After a four-week follow-up, they were grouped as PPC (n = 33) and non-PPC (n = 88). Univariate and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analyzed associations between biomarkers and PPC formation, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated predictive accuracy. Serum MIF, MCP-1, and IL-6 levels were higher in PPC patients (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis, adjusting for multiple factors, showed that higher MIF (adjusted OR = 1.480, 95% CI: 1.235–1.775, P < 0.001) and MCP-1 (adjusted OR = 1.070, 95% CI: 1.005–1.140, P = 0.035) predicted PPC. Alcohol-related pancreatitis also increased PPC odds (OR = 1.600, 95% CI: 1.100–2.320, P = 0.013). ROC analysis revealed different predictive values for each biomarker. Early-stage elevated serum MIF and MCP-1 are positively linked to PPC in SAP patients, suggesting predictive potential. Serum IL-6 is not associated with PPC and may not be a reliable predictor.