Abstract:Objective To explore the predictive value of serum interleukin-18 (IL-18), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (MAP1-LC3), and S100 calcium-binding protein A12 (S100A12) levels for prognosis in severe acute pancreatitis patients.Methods A total of 118 patients with ASP admitted between January 2022 and January 2025 were enrolled as the observation group, and 98 patients with non-severe acute pancreatitis treated during the same period were included as the control group. Serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels were measured in both groups. Disease severity was assessed using the Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score. Patients in the observation group were followed up for 1 month and were classified into a survival subgroup (n = 84) and a death subgroup (n = 34) according to outcomes. Serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels were compared between the two subgroups. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels and prognosis in patients with severe acute pancreatitis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the predictive value of combined detection of serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels for prognosis.Results Serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels, as well as BISAP and APACHE Ⅱ scores, were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels were significantly lower in the survival subgroup than in the death subgroup (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels were positively correlated with adverse prognosis in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (P < 0.05). ROC analysis showed that the sensitivities of serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, S100A12, and their combined detection for predicting prognosis in patients with acute severe pancreatitis were 82.4% (95% CI: 0.655, 0.932), 88.2% (95% CI: 0.725, 0.967), 73.5% (95% CI: 0.556, 0.871), and 88.2% (95% CI: 0.725, 0.967), respectively. The specificities were 81.0% (95% CI: 0.709, 0.887), 89.3% (95% CI: 0.806, 0.950), 94.0% (95% CI: 0.867, 0.980), and 97.6% (95% CI: 0.917, 0.997), respectively. The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) were 0.890 (95% CI: 0.827, 0.952), 0.912 (95% CI: 0.852, 0.972), 0.887 (95% CI: 0.816, 0.957), and 0.973 (95% CI: 0.946, 1.000), respectively.Conclusion Serum IL-18, MAP1-LC3, and S100A12 levels are closely associated with prognosis in patients with acute severe pancreatitis. Combined detection of these biomarkers provides high sensitivity and specificity for prognostic prediction and may serve as a valuable tool for clinical prognostic assessment.