Elucidating antiinflammatory role of srage in inflammatory status of inflammatory bowel disease patients

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn Disease are classified as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) and their etiology is not fully elucidated. Since the diagnosis and therapy of IBD require the use of invasive methods such as endoscopy, a new biological marker which can easily be determined is needed. A multiligand receptor called Receptor of Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) and its soluble form (sRAGE) are involved in the mechanism of IBD. sRAGE and one of its ligands, calprotectin, are expressed in intestinal mucosa and secreted both to the bowel lumen and the blood circulation. Patients with UC were subjected to this study in order to clarify the alteration of those proteins in the bowel mucosa and the serum. sRAGE was measured with Western blotting both in the inflammatory and the non-inflammatory bowel mucosa samples, and the serum sRAGE and calprotectin levels were measured with Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The UC patients that had colonoscopy were divided into subgroups according to the Montreal classification and no statistical difference was found between the serum and mucosal samples of subgroups. We also couldn?t find any statistical difference between the inflammed and the non-inflammed bowel mucosa samples of the UC patients. However, both sRAGE and calprotectin serum levels were significantly lower at the subgroup of UC which was well defined by endoscopy. This study was carried out with limited number of samples and is not sufficient enough to elucidate the interactions between the iflammatory markers and IBD. Further investigations with greater number of samples should be carried out.