title: Characterization of Serum Cytokine Profile in Predominantly Colonic Inflammatory Bowel Disease to Delineate Ulcerative and Crohn's Colitides.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As accessible diagnostic approaches fail to differentiate between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's colitis (CC) in one-third of patients with predominantly colonic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), leading to inappropriate therapy, we aim to investigate the serum cytokine levels in these patients in search of molecular biometric markers delineating UC from CC.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured 38 cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors using magnetic-bead-based multiplex immunoassay in 25 UC patients, 28 CC patients, and 30 controls. Our results are compared with those from a review of current literature regarding advances in serum cytokine profiles and associated challenges preventing their use for diagnostic/prognostic purposes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Univariate analysis showed statistically significant increases of eotaxin, GRO, and TNF-α in UC patients compared to controls (Ctrl); interferon γ, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-7 in CC group compared to Ctrl; and IL-8 in both UC and CC versus Ctrl. No cytokines were found to be different between UC and CC. A generalized linear model identified combinations of cytokines, allowing the identification of UC and CC patients, with area under the curve (AUC) = 0.936, as determined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current knowledge available about circulating cytokines in IBD is often contradictory. The development of an evidence-based tool using cytokines for diagnostic accuracy is still preliminary.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Olga Y
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Korolkova
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Jeremy N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Samuel T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Pellom
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. ; Department of General Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. ; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Amosy E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: M'Koma
keywords: Crohn’s disease; biomarkers; cytokines; inflammatory bowel disease; ulcerative colitis