title: Obestatin/ghrelin ratio: a new activity index in inflammatory bowel diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim was to determine obestatin and ghrelin serum levels and their ratio in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured the ghrelin and obestatin levels of 31 Crohn's disease patients and 22 patients with ulcerative colitis using a radioimmunoassay method. Circulating levels of the 2 hormones and their ratio were correlated with the disease type and activity, disease localization, and treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ghrelin value was statistically significantly higher in patients with active disease (402.4 +/- 462.6 pg/mL) than in patients in remission (148.2 +/- 59.6 pg/mL) P = 0.0290, alpha = 0.05, whereas obestatin mean values were not (217.4 +/- 59.8 pg/mL in active disease and 189.0 +/- 46.8 pg/mL in patients with inactive disease P = 0.0607). When we evaluated the obestatin/ghrelin ratio between active and inactive disease, it was found that the ratio in active disease was statistically significantly lower (0.8 +/- 0.3) than in patients in remission (1.4 +/- 0.3) P < 0.001, alpha = 0.05. There is also a statistically significantly correlation between obestatin/ghrelin ratio and disease activity (P < 0,001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ghrelin and obestatin seem to play a significant role in IBD pathogenesis. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of these hormones as new biological markers of activity of IBD.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Anticancer Hospital of Thessaloniki, Theageneio, Greece. stratisalexandridis@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Efstratios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alexandridis
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zisimopoulos
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liratzopoulos
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Katsos
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Manolas
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kouklakis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D012074:Remission Induction; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; C505799:obestatin, human