Toll-Like Receptor 7 a Novel Non-Invasive Inflammatory Genetic Sensor for Ulcerative Colitis Remission Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Gastroenterology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are primary forms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
• Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are crucial components of the innate immune system, recognizing diverse microbial patterns.
• Evaluating specific TLRs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) may offer non-invasive insights into IBD inflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the expression of Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2), TLR-7, and TLR-8 in PBMCs of UC patients.
• To determine if these TLRs can serve as non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring UC clinical status.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 42 UC patients and 20 healthy controls.
• Extraction of total RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
• Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to measure mRNA levels of TLR-2, TLR-7, and TLR-8.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in TLR-2 mRNA expression was observed between UC patients and controls (P = 0.1264).
• A significant elevation in TLR-7 mRNA expression was found in UC patients during remission compared to controls (P = 0.0008).
• TLR-7 expression was also significantly higher in flare-up UC patients compared to both healthy donors (P = 0.0004) and UC patients in remission (P = 0.0063).
• TLR-8 mRNA expression showed no significant changes among UC patients and controls or across different disease courses.

Conclusions:

• TLR-7 mRNA expression is significantly altered in ulcerative colitis patients, particularly during active disease.
• TLR-7 demonstrates potential as a novel, non-invasive biomarker for monitoring the clinical course of UC.
• TLR-2 and TLR-8 did not show significant utility as biomarkers in this UC cohort.