A Review of Selected IBD Biomarkers: From Animal Models to Bedside

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a dysregulated inflammatory condition induced by multiple factors. The etiology of IBD is largely unknown, and the disease progression and prognosis are variable and unpredictable with uncontrolled disease behavior. Monitoring the status of chronic colitis closely is challenging for physicians, because the assessment of disease activity and severity require invasive methods. Using laboratory biomarkers may provide a useful alternative to invasive methods in the diagnosis and management of IBD. Furthermore, patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease are also at risk of developing cancer. Annual colonoscopies can help lower the risk for developing colorectal cancer. However, laboratory biomarkers may also be helpful as non-invasive indicators in predicting treatment responses, improving prognosis, and predicting possible tumors. This review addresses selected laboratory biomarkers (including ANCA, chitinase 3-like 1, S100A12/RAGE, calprotectin, and TNF/TNFR2), which are identified by utilizing two well-accepted animal models of colitis, dextran sodium sulfate-induced and T cell receptor alpha knockout colitis models. In addition to being useful for monitoring disease severity, these biomarkers are associated with therapeutic strategies. The factors may regulate the initiation and perpetuation of inflammatory factors in the gut.

The neuroinflammatory marker sTNFR2 relates to worse cognition and tau in women across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum

“…57,58 Circulating sTNFR2 is upregulated in biological fluids of inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, and diabetic kidney disease and can be used as a biomarker for inflammation, because it correlates with increased levels of TNFα and disease activity. [59][60][61] Overall, our findings indicate that sTNFR2 may play a F I G U R E 2 Sex-specific relationships between neuroinflammatory marker levels and CDR-SOB. Note.…”

“…TNFR2 is a transmembrane TNFα receptor expressed in immune cells and activated brain endothelial cells that is cleaved to sTNFR2 under inflammatory conditions 57,58 . Circulating sTNFR2 is upregulated in biological fluids of inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, and diabetic kidney disease and can be used as a biomarker for inflammation, because it correlates with increased levels of TNFα and disease activity 59–61 . Overall, our findings indicate that sTNFR2 may play a larger role in cognitive dysfunction in women versus men on the AD trajectory and may potentially play a contributing role to the more aggressive clinical trajectory of AD in women 15,26,28 …”

A westernized diet changed the colonic bacterial composition and metabolite concentration in a dextran sulfate sodium pig model for ulcerative colitis

“…Aimed at demystifying the complex pathology of IBD, many studies have been conducted using animal models ( Knudsen et al, 2020 ; Mizoguchi et al, 2020 ; Nielsen et al, 2020 ; Mizoguchi et al, 2021 ). Colitis in pigs may share some symptoms with UC ( Chase-Topping et al, 2007 ; Panah et al, 2021 ), and since pigs are closer to humans than rodents like mice or guinea pigs with regard to their colonic microbiota, anatomy and physiology ( Liu et al, 2017 ), they are often used as surrogate models.…”

Biological Analyses-Derived Translational Findings in the T Cell Receptor Alpha Chain Knockout Mouse as an Experimental Model for Ulcerative Colitis

“…Enhanced CHI3L1 expression is likely to be a useful biomarker for predicting malignant transformation in IBD patients [78,79]. Fecal CHI3L1 levels seem to be useful not only for predicting the severity and activity of mucosal inflammation but also for detecting the presence of malignancy in IBD patients [77,80]. High endogenous CHI3L1 expression is also associated with an increased proliferation rate and may promote spontaneous development of polypoid formation in the colon [81].…”