Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026
Single-cell Analysis of Immunophenotype and Cytokine Production in Peripheral Whole Blood via Mass Cytometry
Published on: June 26, 2018
Peripheral differentials by Cytodiff flow cytometric system predict disease activity in Chinese patients with
Shulan Zhang1, Ziyan Wu1, Ji Li2
1Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.
Insights
Leukocyte differentials, specifically CD16- monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (CD16- M/L), show promise as biomarkers for active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This ratio effectively distinguishes active from quiescent disease in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).
- Accurate assessment of disease activity is crucial for effective IBD management.
- Current biomarkers like hsCRP and ESR have limitations in reflecting true disease activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate leukocyte differentials as potential biomarkers for disease activity in IBD.
- To determine if specific leukocyte ratios can differentiate active from quiescent disease in CD and UC.
Main Methods:
- Prospective enrollment of 100 subjects: 36 CD, 34 UC, 30 healthy controls (HC).
- Leukocyte differentials analyzed using CytoDiff Flow Cytometry.
- Statistical analysis to identify significant differences and optimal cut-off values.
Main Results:
- CD16- monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (CD16- M/L) was significantly elevated in active UC and CD patients compared to quiescent disease and HC.
- A CD16- M/L cut-off of 0.25 demonstrated high accuracy (86.1%) in differentiating active CD from quiescent CD.
- Monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (M/L) also showed significant differences in active UC.
Conclusions:
- CD16- M/L is a promising biomarker for distinguishing active from quiescent disease in both UC and CD.
- This biomarker can potentially supplement existing indicators like hsCRP and ESR.
- Further validation may establish CD16- M/L as a valuable tool in IBD diagnostics.
Background:
This study aimed at evaluating whether leukocyte differentials could serve as effective biomarkers for disease activity in IBD.
Methods:
A total of 100 subjects were prospectively enrolled, including 36 patients with CD, 34 patients with UC, and 30 healthy controls (HC). Leukocyte differentials were determined by CytoDiff Flow Cytometry analysis.
Results:
Total neutrophil counts, monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (M/L), and CD16- monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (CD16- M/L) were significantly higher in active UC patients compared with quiescent UC patients and HC. A cut-off value of 0.25 in M/L exhibited the best overall accuracy of 82.4% with an AUC of 0.846 in differentiating active UC from quiescent UC. Total leukocyte counts were significantly decreased in active CD patients, while total monocyte counts and total CD16- monocyte counts were significantly increased in active CD patients compared with quiescent CD patients and HC. A cut-off value of 0.25 in CD16- M/L displayed the best AUC of 0.886 (overall accuracy of 86.1%) in differentiating active CD from quiescent CD.
Conclusions:
Our data suggest that CD16- M/L could serve as promising biomarkers for distinguishing active disease from quiescent disease in both UC and CD. In addition, they could be used as supplements to other disease activity indicators, such as hsCRP and ESR.
