Downregulation of serum epidermal growth factor in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Is there a link with mucosal damage?
BACKGROUND
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a multipotent peptide which contributes to epithelial development, inhibition of gastric acid secretion, acceleration of wound healing, and promotion of angiogenesis. The aim of this study is to evaluate serum EGF concentrations in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, with regard to disease and patients' characteristics.


METHODS
EGF determination was performed by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Fifty-two patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 59 with Crohn's disease (CD), and 55 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study.


RESULTS
Mean ( ± SEM) serum EGF levels were 217.2 ( ± 30.40) pg/mL in UC patients, 324.6 ( ± 37.29) pg/mL in CD patients, and 453.1 ( ± 39.44) pg/mL in HC. Serum EGF levels were significantly lower in UC and CD patients compared to HC (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0199, respectively). Lower serum EGF levels were observed in UC compared to CD patients (P = 0.0277). Extent of the disease was found to affect serum EGF levels in UC, demonstrating significant reduction in patients with left-sided colitis and pancolitis in comparison with those with proctitis (P = 0.0190 and P = 0.0024, respectively). EGF concentration was not influenced by other characteristics of patients and disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Significantly, lower levels of serum EGF are observed in IBD patients compared to HC, while disease extent plays a key role in regulation of serum EGF in UC. Downregulation of serum EGF may be correlated with different patterns of bowel inflammation, epithelial development, and wound healing in IBD.
Oikonomou
Konstantinos A
KA
Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece. acoseko@yahoo.com
Kapsoritakis
Andreas N
AN
Kapsoritaki
Anastasia I
AI
Manolakis
Anastassios C
AC
Tsiopoulos
Fotios D
FD
Germenis
Anastassios E
AE
Potamianos
Spiros P
SP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000473:pathology; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D015415:Biomarkers; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor