Association Between Serum PADI-4 Levels and Disease Activity in Ulcerative Colitis Patients

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Gastroenterology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PADI-4) is an enzyme involved in inflammation and immune responses.
• Elevated PADI-4 expression is observed in inflammatory cells.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate serum PADI-4 levels in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).
• To investigate the association between serum PADI-4 levels and UC disease activity.

Main Methods:

• Observational study comparing serum PADI-4 levels in 51 UC patients and 31 healthy controls.
• Analysis of PADI-4 levels in UC patients with active disease versus those in remission.
• Correlation analyses between serum PADI-4, C-reactive protein (CRP), total Mayo score (TMS), and modified Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MESS).

Main Results:

• Serum PADI-4 levels were significantly higher in UC patients (1317 pg/mL) compared to controls (873 pg/mL) (p=0.009).
• PADI-4 levels differed significantly across disease activity groups (remission, mild, moderate/severe) (p=0.015).
• Positive correlations were found between PADI-4 and CRP (r=0.31), TMS (r=0.419), and MESS (r=0.417).

Conclusions:

• Serum PADI-4 levels are elevated in patients with ulcerative colitis.
• PADI-4 may serve as a potential biomarker for assessing UC disease severity.