Measuring calgranulin C in acne patients, correlating its level with serum insulin level and lipid profile as associated risk factors

Context Acne vulgaris is a chronic pilosebaceous unit inflammatory disease, commonly affecting adolescents. Calgranulin C is known as a biomarker for inflammation. It is a predominant cytoplasmic protein of neutrophils and various cells can produce it. Additionally, calgranulin C has a role in innate immunity and the inflammatory process. Aims To measure Calgranulin C protein level in acne and correlate its level with severity of acne, lipid profile, and serum insulin. Settings and design Prospective case–control study. Patients and methods This study included 30 acne vulgaris patients and 30 healthy individuals as a control group. Serum Calgranulin C, insulin level, and lipid profile levels were measured in all patients and the control group. Statistical analysis used All data were collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed using SPSS 26.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Independent samples Student’s t -test, Mann–Whitney U test, and χ 2 test were used. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the relationship. Results Serum Calgranulin C level was higher in acne vulgaris patients compared with controls in a statistically significant manner with P value (0.001), while serum insulin and lipid profile levels were within normal ranges. There was no statistically significant correlation between serum Calgranulin C and disease severity. Conclusions Serum Calgranulin C may play a role in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris.