Can serum M30 levels be utilized as an activation marker in patients with ulcerative colitis?

Ascertainment of disease activation is an important component of therapeutic decisions in ulcerative colitis patients and may present certain clinical challenges. The objective of this study was to determine serum levels of the M30 fragment of cytokeratin 18 and its utility as an activation marker in patients with ulcerative colitis, who are known to have increased apoptosis.

A total of 60 ulcerative colitis (30 active and 30 remission) patients aged over 18 years and 29 healthy individuals as controls were included in the study. M30, C-reactive protein, and mean platelet volume were evaluated in all participants and compared between ulcerative colitis patients and controls, as well as between those with active disease or remission.

Although ulcerative colitis patients with active disease had higher M30 levels than those in remission, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.085). The mean M30 levels tended to increase with increasing extent of involvement, although the differences were not significant (p=0.065). The comparison of C-reactive protein and mean platelet volume according to the site of involvement, however, showed significant differences (p=0.02 and 0.004, respectively). M30 did not show significant correlations with C-reactive protein, mean platelet volume, and Mayo Score (p=0.0834, 0.768, and 0.401, respectively).

Our results suggest that, in contrast to C-reactive protein and mean platelet volume, M30 levels do not have a significant role as an activation marker in ulcerative colitis patients. Thus, we believe that M30 may not represent an appropriate marker to be used for this purpose.