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Published on: April 21, 2015
Expression of CD44 in Leukocyte Subpopulations in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Ivana Franić1, Nikolina Režić-Mužinić2, Anita Markotić2
1Department of Medical Laboratory Diagnostic, University Department of Health Studies, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Insights
CD44 expression on leukocytes differs in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) based on IBD type and treatment. This finding may help tailor therapies for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- CD44 is crucial in gastrointestinal inflammation, particularly in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
- Differential gene methylation affects monocyte subpopulations in Crohn's disease.
- Understanding CD44 expression in leukocyte subsets is vital for IBD management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate CD44 expression in leukocyte subpopulations.
- To correlate CD44 expression with IBD type, therapy, and disease duration.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry was used to analyze CD44 expression on monocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations.
- 46 IBD patients and 48 healthy controls were included.
- Analysis included CD14++CD16−, CD14++CD16++, and CD14+CD16+ monocytes.
Main Results:
- Non-biological therapy (NBT) in Crohn's disease patients showed lower CD44 on anti-inflammatory monocytes.
- NBT in ulcerative colitis patients revealed lower CD44 on CD14+CD44+ lymphocytes.
- Biological therapy in Crohn's disease patients indicated higher CD44+ granulocytes and lower CD44 on anti-inflammatory monocytes.
- Higher CD44 median fluorescence intensity on CD44+CD14+ lymphocytes was observed in ulcerative colitis patients on biological therapy versus NBT.
- Classical CD14++CD16− monocytes were lower in patients with <9 years of IBD duration.
Conclusions:
- CD44 expression patterns vary significantly across leukocyte subpopulations in IBD patients.
- Therapeutic strategies for IBD may be refined by considering leukocyte differentiation and regulation.
- These findings highlight the potential role of CD44 in guiding IBD treatment decisions.
Abstract:
CD44 expressed in monocytes and lymphocytes seems to play a crucial role in gastrointestinal inflammation, such as the one occurring in the context of inflammatory bowel diseases. Differentially methylated genes are distinctly expressed across monocyte subpopulations related to the state of Crohn’s disease. Hence, the aim of this study was to detect CD44 expression in leukocyte subpopulations in relation to the type of IBD, therapy, and disease duration. Monocyte subpopulations CD14++CD16−, CD14++CD16++, and CD14+CD16+ as well as other leukocytes were analyzed for their CD44 expression using flow cytometry in 46 patients with IBD and 48 healthy controls. Patients with Crohn’s disease treated with non-biological therapy (NBT) exhibited a lower percentage of anti-inflammatory CD14+CD16++ monocytes, whereas NBT-treated patients with ulcerative colitis had lower expression of CD44 on CD14+CD44+ lymphocytes in comparison to controls, respectively. Conversely, patients with Crohn’s disease treated with biological therapy had a higher percentage of CD44+ granulocytes but lower expression of CD44 on anti-inflammatory monocytes compared to controls. Median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD44 on CD44+CD14+ lymphocytes was higher in ulcerative colitis patients treated with biological therapy compared to NBT. The percentage of classical CD14++CD16− monocytes was lower in the <9 years of IBD duration subgroup compared with the longer disease duration subgroup. The present study addresses the putative role of differentiation and regulation of leukocytes in tailoring IBD therapeutic regimes.
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