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Increased serum BDNF and ProBDNF levels in children with irritable bowel syndrome
Evrim Şenkal1, Ferit Durankuş1, Sebahat Çam1
1Istanbul Medeniyet University, Department of Pediatrics, İstanbul,Turkey.
Insights
Children with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) show higher serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and proBDNF. These findings suggest neurotrophins may play a role in pediatric IBS. Further research is needed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder in children.
- Neurotrophins, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are increasingly implicated in the pathophysiology of IBS.
- Understanding the role of BDNF and its precursor, proBDNF, in pediatric IBS is crucial for developing targeted therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum levels of BDNF and proBDNF in children diagnosed with IBS.
- To compare these neurotrophin levels between children with IBS and a healthy control group.
- To explore the potential association between BDNF/proBDNF and IBS in the pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 29 children with IBS and 55 healthy children.
- Serum samples were collected from all participants.
- Levels of serum BDNF and proBDNF were measured and statistically compared between the IBS and control groups.
Main Results:
- Children with IBS exhibited significantly higher serum levels of proBDNF compared to the healthy control group (p=0.02).
- Serum BDNF levels were also significantly elevated in children with IBS compared to controls (p=0.02).
- Covariance analysis indicated a medium effect size for both proBDNF (Cohen's d=0.45) and BDNF (Cohen's d=0.51) differences.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of elevated serum BDNF levels in pediatric IBS patients.
- The research also demonstrates, for the first time, increased proBDNF levels in children with IBS.
- These preliminary findings highlight a potential role for BDNF and proBDNF in pediatric IBS, warranting further investigation.
Objective:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders among the pediatric population. Recently, neurotrophins have been suggested to be etiological factors or causes of symptoms of IBS. In the present study, the aim was to research the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and proBDNF levels in children with IBS.
Methods:
The study group was selected from pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic and control group was recruited from healthy children outpatient clinic. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 29 children with IBS and 55 healthy children were included in the study. The data were obtained from all participants, and if needed, from their parents. All participants were assessed in terms of anthropometric measurements. The serum (BDNF) and proBDNF levels were compared between the groups.
Results:
The proBDNF levels in IBS patients were higher compared with the control group in covariance analysis (IBS patients group mean 492.4, SD 534.1; control group mean 332.8, SD 406.7) (p = 0.02; Cohen's d = 0.45). The serum BDNF levels of IBS patients were also higher compared with the control group (IBS patients group mean 3.1, SD 4.3; control group mean 1.7, SD 2.7) (p = 0.02; Cohen's d = 0.51).
Conclusions:
The present study is the first to demonstrate that there is a higher level of serum BDNF in children with IBS. Moreover, it is the first to demonstrate an increased level of proBDNF in IBS. Additional research is needed to confirm the preliminary results.
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