International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Plasma Gelsolin: Indicator of Inflammation and Its Potential as a Diagnostic Tool and Therapeutic Target Ewelina Piktel 1, Ilya Levental 2, Bonita Durna´s 3, Paul A. Janmey 4 and Robert Bucki 1,* 1 Department of Microbiological and Nanobiomedical Engineering, Medical University of Bialystok, Mickiewicza 2c, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland;
[email protected] 2 McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston MSB 4.202A, 6431 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77096, USA;
[email protected] 3 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Aleja IX Wieków Kielc, 25-317 Kielce, Poland;
[email protected] 4 Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 3340 Smith Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +48-85-7485483 Received: 18 July 2018; Accepted: 18 August 2018; Published: 25 August 2018 Abstract: Gelsolin, an actin-depolymerizing protein expressed both in extracellular fluids and in the cytoplasm of a majority of human cells, has been recently implicated in a variety of both physiological and pathological processes. Its extracellular isoform, called plasma gelsolin (pGSN), is present in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, milk, urine, and other extracellular fluids. This isoform has been recognized as a potential biomarker of inflammatory-associated medical conditions, allowing for the prediction of illness severity, recovery, efficacy of treatment, and clinical outcome. A compelling number of animal studies also demonstrate a broad spectrum of beneficial effects mediated by gelsolin, suggesting therapeutic utility for extracellular recombinant gelsolin.