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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Comparison of mucosal barrier components in blood serum in inflammatory bowel disease
1 Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
2 Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan, Russia
3 Kazan State Medical University, Kazan, Russia
4 City Polyclinic No 21 of Kazan, Kazan, Russia
5 Republican Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, Russia
Correspondence should be addressed: Vladimir A. Sorokin
Ostrovityanova, 1, Moscow, 117513, Russia; ur.liam@a_v_nikoros
Funding: the article is based on the results obtained when implementing the Agreement on the provision of grants in the form of subsidies from the federal budget to support the creation and development of world-class research centers that conduct research and development in areas prioritized for scientific and technological advancement FZSM-2026-0005.
Author contribution: Sorokin VA — sample preparation, data acquisition and analysis, literature review, manuscript writing; Abdulkhakov SR — study planning, data analysis and interpretation; Shakirova GF — data acquisition and analysis, literature review; Odintsova AKh — data acquisition, clinical assessment and follow-up of patients; Abdulkhakov RA — study planning, data interpretation, manuscript editing; Grigorieva TV, Laikov AV — laboratory testing of biomaterials; Roumiantsev SA — study planning, general management, manuscript editing; Shestopalov AV — study planning, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript editing.
Compliance with ethical standards: the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (protocol No. 186 dated June 26, 2019).
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to chronic immune-mediated conditions. Damage to the intestinal barrier is associated with changes in bacterial product levels and the systemic inflammation persistence. The mucosal barrier molecular components, such as I-FABP, mucin 2, TFF2, and TFF3, are involved in maintaining the epithelium integrity and the inflammatory response modulation. However, the diagnostic value of those in IBD is still poorly understood. The single center cross-sectional comparative study aimed to perform a comprehensive comparative assessment of the mucosal barrier serum components in healthy donors and patients with IBD. A total of 20 patients with IBD and 20 healthy donors were enrolled. Serum concentrations of I-FABP, mucin 2, TFF2, and TFF3 were determined by the enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann–Whitney U-test, the differences were considered significant at p ≤ 0.05. Significant differences were reported for TFF2 and TFF3. In patients with IBD, TFF2 levels were 5 times higher, than in healthy donors, and TFF3 levels were 4.2 times higher. Thus, serum levels of TFF2 and TFF3 are elevated in IBD, which reflects activation of the repair mechanisms and can be considered as an inflammatory activity marker.
Keywords: mucosal barrier, inflammatory bowel disease, TFF2, TFF3, I-FABP