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Monocyte CD36 Expression Predicts Disease Activity in Patients With Crohn's Disease
Jiejie Zhu1,2, Nannan Zhu1,2, Jiren Wang1,2
1Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Insights
Monocyte CD36 expression is altered in Crohn's disease (CD), with decreased levels correlating to disease activity. This suggests CD36 may serve as a biomarker for assessing CD progression.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory condition with complex etiology.
- Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) is implicated in inflammation and metabolic diseases, but its role in CD remains undefined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of CD36 in monocytes of patients with Crohn's disease.
- To determine if CD36 expression correlates with disease activity in CD.
Main Methods:
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from CD patients and healthy controls.
- Flow cytometry was used to analyze CD14+CD36+ monocyte subsets and CD36 expression on monocytes.
Main Results:
- The frequency of CD14+CD36+ monocytes was elevated in active CD patients compared to those in remission and healthy controls.
- CD36 expression on monocytes was decreased in active CD patients and negatively correlated with disease activity markers (HBI, SES-CD, CRP, NLR).
Conclusions:
- Monocyte CD36 expression is associated with disease activity in Crohn's disease.
- CD36 may represent a potential biomarker for assessing CD activity.
Abstract:
Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disease associated with genetic, environmental, and other unknown factors. Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) plays an important role in cancer, inflammation, and metabolic diseases. Although CD36 has recently been implicated in various diseases, its role in CD is still unclear. Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients with CD and healthy volunteers. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by density gradient centrifugation over Ficoll-Paque and labeled with monoclonal antibodies (CD14-APC and CD36-PE). Flow cytometer CytoFlex is used for analysis. Results: Twenty-nine patients with CD in remission, 42 patients with active CD, and 23 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Our results showed that the frequency of the CD14+CD36+ monocyte subset was increased in PBMCs from patients with active CD compared with patients in remission and healthy controls. However, CD36 on monocytes was lower in CD compared with the healthy controls. CD36 expression was decreased in patients with active CD compared with that of patients with CD in remission and healthy control subjects, but no difference was found between patients with CD in remission and healthy controls. Interestingly, we found negative correlations of CD36 with HBI, SES-CD, C-reactive protein, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Conclusions: These data indicate that monocyte CD36 associates with disease activity in CD and might be a potential biomarker for assessing the activity of CD.
