Dependence of cytokine concentration in coproextracts in children with inflammatory bowel diseases on disease activity

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) affect more than 6.8 million people. The key factor in the immunopathogenesis of these diseases is the intestinal wall infiltration by various immunocompetent cells and their proinflammatory cytokine production. AIM: To compare the levels of 14 cytokines in the coproextracts of patients with IBD with various disease activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The examined cohort comprised 30 children with CD, 33 with UC, and 20 healthy children (control group). UC and CD were diagnosed based on generally accepted clinical and endoscopic criteria. The concentrations of 14 cytokines (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-25, IL-31, IL-33, IFN-γ, and TNF) in aqueous-salt coproextrates were determined using the multiplex method (MagPix, BioRad, USA). RESULTS: The levels of all studied cytokines were significantly increased in all sick children, even in remission, compared with the control group. The concentration of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, and IL-17F) consistently decreased with the decrease in disease activity in the coproextracts of patients with CD and UC. Furthermore, the IL-22, IL-33, and IL-10 levels increased as the inflammation activity decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of normalization of cytokine levels in remission raises the question of the need for further study of IBD immunopathogenesis and the search for new therapeutic approaches.