Under a specific clinical scenario, the test may eliminate the need for invasive colonoscopy or radio-labelled white cell scanning.
[2][3] In vitro studies show that calprotectin has bacteriostatic and fungistatic properties, that arise from its ability to sequester manganese and zinc.
[8] Since calprotectin comprises as much as 60% of the soluble protein content of the cytosol of neutrophils, it can serve as a marker for the level of intestinal inflammation.
[11][better source needed] In untreated coeliac disease, concentration levels of faecal calprotectin correlate with the degree of intestinal mucosal lesion and normalize with a gluten-free diet.
[11] Most importantly, intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin included) increases calprotectin values, possibly due to the associated induced enteropathy.