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Changes of leucine-rich alpha 2 glycoprotein could be a marker of changes of endoscopic and histologic activity of ulcerative colitis

  • 0Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
Scientific Reports +

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February 12, 2025

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February 12, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Leucine-rich alpha 2 glycoprotein (LRG) effectively tracks ulcerative colitis (UC) activity, showing correlations comparable to fecal markers and outperforming C-reactive protein (CRP). This suggests LRG is a valuable serum biomarker for monitoring UC disease progression.

Area Of Science

  • Gastroenterology
  • Clinical Biomarkers
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research

Background

  • Ulcerative colitis (UC) disease activity monitoring relies on various biomarkers.
  • Leucine-rich alpha 2 glycoprotein (LRG) is a potential serum biomarker for UC.
  • Comparing LRG's efficacy against established markers like fecal calprotectin (Fcal), fecal immunochemical test (FIT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) is crucial.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To evaluate the correlation between changes in serum LRG levels and endoscopic/histologic activity in UC patients.
  • To compare the performance of LRG as a biomarker against Fcal, FIT, and CRP in tracking UC disease activity.

Main Methods

  • Seventy-nine UC patients with at least two colonoscopies were analyzed.
  • 123 paired colonoscopies and 121 paired biopsies were examined for disease activity.
  • Correlations between marker level changes (LRG, Fcal, FIT, CRP) and disease activity changes were calculated.

Main Results

  • LRG changes correlated well with endoscopic/histologic activity (r=0.42/0.40).
  • LRG's correlation was comparable to fecal markers (Fcal r=0.50/0.39, FIT r=0.41/0.40).
  • LRG showed a trend towards superior correlation compared to CRP (CRP r=0.22/0.17), particularly for histologic activity (p=0.01).

Conclusions

  • Serum LRG is a valuable biomarker for inferring changes in UC disease activity.
  • LRG demonstrates efficacy comparable to fecal markers and superior to CRP in monitoring UC.
  • LRG offers a promising alternative or adjunct for assessing UC disease activity.

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