title: The utility of apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages as a possible diagnostic marker in patients with Crohn's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages (AIM) was initially identified as an apoptosis inhibitor that supports the survival of macrophages against various apoptosis-inducing stimuli, and AIM produced by macrophages may contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). However, there have been no reports on the kinetics of AIM in IBD and the impact of AIM on the pathogenesis of IBD. In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic utility of levels of AIM and their correlation with the activity of Crohn's disease (CD) and IBD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to examine AIM serum levels in 16 healthy subjects and 90 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, namely 39 with CD and 51 with ulcerative colitis (UC), as well as 17 patients with Behcet's disease (BD) as intestinal disease controls. We compared serum AIM levels among groups and examined whether there were correlations between serum AIM levels and disease activity and type. We also performed immunohistochemical staining of AIM in intestinal tissues of patients with CD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum AIM levels were significantly higher in patients with CD than in patients with UC, BD, and controls (3.27 ± 2.14, 1.88 ± 1.43, 2.34 ± 1.37, and 2.13 ± 0.64 μg/ml, respectively; P < 0.01). There was no difference in serum AIM levels before and after treatment in patients with CD. However, in these patients the diagnostic rate using AIM was better than that based on anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies. AIM was expressed in macrophages that were positive for CD14, CD16, or both in the intestinal tissues of patients with CD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AIM is a novel biomarker of CD that can distinguish CD from UC or BD. It is suggested that AIM may contribute to intestinal inflammation by inhibiting the apoptosis of macrophages.
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan. skanmura@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanmura
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morinaga
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumisato
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichirou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nasu
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiroh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanoue
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.|Center for Digestive and Liver Diseases, Miyazaki Medical Center Hospital, Miyazaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uto
authors.affiliation: Kagoshima City Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsubouchi
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ido
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D051116:Receptors, Scavenger / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; C492821:CD5L protein, human; D051116:Receptors, Scavenger
keywords: Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages; Crohn’s disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Macrophages