ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:  Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), lacks a known etiology. Although clinical symptoms, imaging, and colonoscopy are common diagnostic tools, fecal calprotectin (FC) serves as a widely used biomarker to track disease activity. Metabolomics, within the omics sciences, holds promise for identifying disease progression biomarkers. This approach involves studying metabolites in biological media to uncover pathological factors.

AIMS:  The purpose of this study was to explore fecal metabolomics in IBD patients, evaluate its potential in differentiating subtypes, and assess disease activity using FC.

METHODS:  Cross-sectional study including IBD patients, clinical data, and FC measurements (=200 μg/g as an indicator of active disease).

RESULTS:  Fecal metabolomics utilized chromatography mass spectrometry/solid phase microextraction with MetaboAnalyst 5.0 software for analysis. Of 52 patients (29 UC, 23 CD), 36 (69.2%) exhibited inflammatory activity. We identified 56 fecal metabolites, with hexadecanoic acid, squalene, and octadecanoic acid notably distinguishing CD from UC. For UC, octadecanoic and hexadecanoic acids correlated with disease activity, whereas octadecanoic acid was most relevant in CD.

CONCLUSIONS:  These findings highlight the potential of metabolomics as a noninvasive complement for evaluating IBD, aiding diagnosis, and assessing disease activity.

HEADINGS:
Crohn Disease; Colitis; Ulcerative; Gastrointestinal Microbiome.