Investigating the role and effect of oestrogen hormone, serum leptin and TNF-α levels in men with ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis, a subset of inflammatory bowel disease, affects a significant number of individuals worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate serum estrogen, leptin, TNF-α, lipid profile and glucose levels. The study was conducted at Ibn-i Sina Hospital between 25 June and 3 November 2023 and included 115 participants, 65 ulcerative colitis patients and 50 healthy men aged 25 years and older. Blood samples were collected from all participants and serum estrogen, leptin and TNF-α levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lipid profile and fasting glucose were measured using a calorimetric spectrophotometer and haemoglobin A1c was calculated using an automated COBAS device. There was no significant difference between the study groups according to age (p-value=0.177). In terms of estrogen, leptin and TNF-α, a significant difference was found between patients and healthy subjects (p-value <0.001). In addition, according to biochemical tests, significant differences were found between the study groups in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, fasting blood glucose and haemoglobin A1c (p-values 0.009, 0.001, 0.001, <0.001, respectively). In addition, triglycerides, very low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein (p-values 0. 191, 0.371 and 0.192), whereas a positive correlation was found between total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (r=0.962) and triglyceride and very low-density lipoprotein (r=1). In conclusion, according to the present results, this study demonstrated that estrogen and TNF-α may play an important role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. In contrast, leptin may play an important role in defence against inflammation and control of body weight. In addition, ulcerative colitis may affect lipid profile levels and this effect depends on the severity and stage of the disease. Furthermore, this disease can lead to a high risk of insulin resistance, which ultimately leads to type 2 diabetes