Endocytoscopic Classification Is Associated with Mucosal miR-192-5p Downregulation and CXCL2 Expression in Ulcerative...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Molecular Biology
• Endoscopic Imaging

Background:

• Ultra-high-magnification endoscopy (Endocyto) visualizes microscopic mucosal structures.
• Endocyto is a potential tool for assessing mucosal inflammation.
• A previous endocytoscopic classification (EC-A to EC-D) was developed for grading inflammation severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between endocytoscopic classification and microRNA (miRNA) expression in ulcerative colitis (UC).

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 36 UC patients undergoing Endocyto.
• Microarray analysis of UC and healthy control biopsy samples.
• Quantitative PCR analysis of selected miRNAs and CXCL2 expression.

Main Results:

• Four miRNAs (miR-141-5p, miR-192-5p, miR-194-5p, miR-215-5p) were downregulated in inflammatory areas.
• miR-192-5p was markedly lower in severe inflammation groups (EC-B, EC-C+D) compared to the mild group (EC-A).
• Pro-inflammatory CXCL2 was upregulated and negatively correlated with miR-192-5p expression.

Conclusions:

• Reduced miR-192-5p expression is inversely associated with CXCL2 expression in UC.
• miR-192-5p downregulation most consistently correlated with endocytoscopic inflammation grading.
• Endocyto shows promise as a real-time, in vivo tool for histology-like assessment of mucosal inflammation.