Apolipoprotein A-IV is an independent predictor of disease activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
BACKGROUND
ApoA-IV, an apolipoprotein (apo) with antioxidant, antiatherogenic, and antiinflammatory properties, was recently demonstrated to inhibit dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis in mice. We therefore hypothesized that apoA-IV may be associated with disease activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).


METHODS
We addressed this question by testing for associations between apoA-IV genotypes, apoA-IV plasma levels, inflammatory parameters, and clinical disease activity in 206 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 95 subjects with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 157 healthy controls.


RESULTS
In CD patients, apoA-IV plasma levels were inversely associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.005) and disease activity (P = 0.01) in univariate analysis. In multiple logistic regression analysis, apoA-IV levels were identified as an independent predictor of elevated CRP (odds ratio [OR] 0.956, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.916-0.998, P = 0.04) and active disease (OR 0.957, 95% CI: 0.918-0.998, P = 0.04). In UC patients the apoA-IV gene variant 360 His (P = 0.03) but not apoA-IV levels (P = 0.15) were associated with increased disease activity in univariate analysis. This association, however, was lost in multiple logistic regression analysis (OR 3.435, 95% CI 0.995-11.853, P = 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate an association of apoA-IV with disease activity in patients with CD. Further studies are needed to define the relationship of apoA-IV to IBD.
Broedl
Uli C
UC
Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Munich, Germany. uli.broedl@med.uni-muenchen.de
Schachinger
Veronika
V
Lingenhel
Arno
A
Lehrke
Michael
M
Stark
Renee
R
Seibold
Frank
F
Göke
Burkhard
B
Kronenberg
Florian
F
Parhofer
Klaus G
KG
Konrad-Zerna
Astrid
A
D000328:Adult; D001054:Apolipoproteins A / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012008:Recurrence
D001054:Apolipoproteins A; D015415:Biomarkers; D005819:Genetic Markers