REG3A: A Potential Fecal Biomarker for Ulcerative Colitis

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Immunology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Regenerating islet-derived protein 3-alpha (REG3A) is an antimicrobial peptide involved in intestinal mucosal repair.
• Its role as a biomarker for inflammatory bowel disease, specifically ulcerative colitis (UC), requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate fecal REG3A as a biomarker for assessing disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC).
• To compare the diagnostic performance of REG3A against fecal calprotectin (FC) and a combined model.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study included 82 UC patients and 20 controls.
• Fecal REG3A and FC levels were measured and analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
• Immunohistochemistry was used to assess REG3A expression in intestinal biopsies.

Main Results:

• Fecal REG3A levels increased significantly with UC clinical severity (p < 0.001).
• A combined model of REG3A and FC demonstrated superior performance in differentiating UC disease activity compared to individual biomarkers.
• REG3A expression was confirmed in active UC colonic tissues.

Conclusions:

• Fecal REG3A is a promising biomarker for assessing UC disease activity.
• Combining REG3A with FC enhances the accuracy of predicting clinical severity in UC patients.