Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee: Pirogov University.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY).

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Comparison of mucosal barrier components in blood serum in inflammatory bowel disease

Sorokin VA1 , Abdulkhakov SR2 , Shakirova GF4 , Odintsova AKh5 , Abdulkhakov RA4 , Grigoryeva TV2 , Laikov AV2 , Roumiantsev SA1 , Shestopalov AV1
About authors

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

About paper

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).

Received: 2026-09-18 Accepted: 2026-10-11 Published online: 2026-10-21
|
  1. Roda G, Sartini A, Zambon E, et al. Intestinal epithelial cells in inflammatory bowel diseases. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2010; 16 (34): 4264–71.
  2. Martini E, Krug SM, Siegmund B, et al. Mend your fences: The epithelial barrier and its relationship with mucosal immunity in inflammatory bowel disease. Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2017; 4 (1): 33–46.
  3. Johansson MEV, Hansson GC. Immunological aspects of intestinal mucus and mucins. Nature Reviews Immunology. 2016; 16 (10): 639–49.
  4. Schroeder BO. Fight them or feed them: how the intestinal mucus layer manages the gut microbiota. Gastroenterology Report. 2019; 7 (1): 3–12.
  5. Schellekens DHSM, Grootjans J, Dello SAWG, et al. Plasma intestinal fatty acid-binding protein levels correlate with morphologic epithelial intestinal damage in a human translational ischemia-reperfusion model. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2014; 48 (3): 253–60.
  6. Van der Post S, Jabbar KS, Birchenough G, et al. Structural weakening of the colonic mucus barrier is an early event in ulcerative colitis pathogenesis. Gut. 2019; 68 (12): 2142–51.
  7. Xue L, Shi H, Zhang Z, et al. Trefoil factor 3 as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. Scientific Reports. 2021; 11 (1): 11073.
  8. Aihara E, Engevik KA, Montrose MH. Trefoil Factor Peptides and Gastrointestinal Function. Annual Review of Physiology. 2017; 79: 357–80.
  9. Taupin D, Podolsky DK. Trefoil factors: initiators of mucosal healing. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 2003; 4 (9): 721–32.
  10. Kovaleva OV, Lityaeva LA, Zрilenkova OG. Osobennosti urovnya zashchity kishechnogo bar'era u detej rannego vozrasta. Detskie infekcii. 2025; 24 (4): 26–30.
  11. Kamalova AA, Garina GA, Hanafina MA, Valeeva IH. Rol' fekal'nyh biomarkerov v prognozirovanii vospalitel'nyh zabolevanij kishechnika. Farmateka. 2024; 31 (1): 20–5.
  12. Hoffmann W. Trefoil Factor Family (TFF) Peptides and Their Links to Inflammation: A Re-evaluation and New Medical Perspectives. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22 (9): 4909.
  13. Hoffmann W. Trefoil Factor Family (TFF) Peptides and Their Diverse Molecular Functions in Mucus Barrier Protection and More: Changing the Paradigm. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020; 21 (12): 4535.
  14. Nakov R, Velikova T, Nakov V, et al. Serum trefoil factor 3 predicts disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 2019; 23 (2): 788–94.
  15. Keles Yucel ZP, Afacan B, Atmaca İlhan H, et al. The trefoil factor family 1 (TFF-1) and 3 (TFF-3) are upregulated in the saliva, gingival crevicular fluid and serum of periodontitis patients. Oral Diseases. 2022; 28 (4): 1240–9.
  16. Srivastava S, Kedia S, Kumar S, et al. Serum human trefoil factor 3 is a biomarker for mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis patients with minimal disease activity. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 2015; 9 (7): 575–9.
  17. Farrell JJ, Taupin D, Koh TJ, et al. TFF2-SP-deficient mice show decreased gastric proliferation, increased acid secretion, and increased susceptibility to NSAID injury. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2002; 109 (2): 193–204.
  18. Hoffmann W. TFF2, a MUC6-binding lectin stabilizing the gastric mucus barrier and more (Review). International Journal of Oncology. 2015; 47 (3): 806–16.
  19. Hung LY, Sen D, Oniskey TK, et al. Macrophages promote epithelial proliferation following infectious and non-infectious lung injury through a Trefoil factor 2-dependent mechanism. Mucosal Immunology. 2019; 12 (1): 64–76.
  20. Verstockt B, Salas A, Sands BE, et al. IL-12 and IL-23 pathway inhibition in inflammatory bowel disease. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2023; 20 (7): 433–46.
  21. Kjellev S. The trefoil factor family — small peptides with multiple functionalities. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 2009; 66 (8): 1350-69.