Plasma FABP2, IL-10, and LPS in Microscopic Colitis: An Exploratory Study of Their Biomarker Potential

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Immunology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Microscopic colitis (MC), including collagenous colitis (CC) and lymphocytic colitis (LC), causes chronic watery diarrhea and impacts quality of life.
• Current diagnosis requires colonoscopy with biopsies, lacking non-invasive biomarkers.
• Investigating circulating biomarkers could improve MC diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate plasma fatty acid-binding protein 2 (FABP2), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) as potential non-invasive biomarkers for MC.
• To compare biomarker profiles in MC patients with those in active and inactive ulcerative colitis (UC) and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Plasma samples were collected from patients with active CC, active LC, active UC, inactive UC, and healthy controls.
• Concentrations of FABP2, IL-10, and LPS were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Main Results:

• Plasma FABP2 levels were significantly higher in CC patients compared to active and inactive UC patients, but not significantly different from controls or LC patients.
• IL-10 levels were lower in active UC patients compared to CC patients and controls.
• LPS levels did not differ significantly across groups, and no biomarkers reliably distinguished LC from other groups.

Conclusions:

• Plasma FABP2 and IL-10 demonstrated limited accuracy in differentiating CC from UC and failed to distinguish MC from healthy individuals.
• LPS was not found to be a significant differentiator among the studied groups.
• Further validation in larger cohorts is needed to confirm these preliminary findings on circulating biomarker profiles in MC.