Background: Considering the increasing worldwide prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the early diagnosis of this disease is extremely important. However, non-invasive diagnostic methods remain limited, while invasive techniques are the most commonly used in daily practice. Therefore, there is a serious need to find new non-invasive biomarkers of IBD. Methods: The serum profiles of occludin, claudin-2, and zonulin were assessed in IBD patients using the ELISA method. The levels of the analyzed biomarkers were measured before and after a year of anti-inflammatory treatment, which was a tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) inhibitor (adalimumab) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and conventional therapy in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Results: In IBD patients, the serum level of occludin (p < 0.001) decreased compared to healthy individuals, while the level of claudin-2 (p < 0.001) increased. Additionally, zonulin (p < 0.01) concentration increased in CD patients compared to the control group. The highest diagnostic ability was presented by occludin measurements with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.959 (95% CI 0.907–1) in UC and 0.948 (95% CI 0.879–1) in CD. Claudin-2 also demonstrated very good ability in diagnosing UC and CD with AUC values of 0.864 (95% CI 0.776–0.952) and 0.896 (95% CI 0.792–0.999), respectively. The ability of zonulin to diagnose CD was estimated as good with an AUC of 0.74 (95% CI 0.598–0.881). Moreover, a significant correlation was identified between C-reactive protein (CRP), claudin-2 (r = −0.37; p < 0.05), and zonulin (r = −0.44; p < 0.05) in UC patients. Treatment with adalimumab improved the level of occludin, claudin-2, and zonulin in UC patients, while anti-inflammatory conventional therapy decreased the concentration of zonulin in CD. Conclusions: Occludin and claudin-2 measurements present significant utility in diagnosing both UC and CD, while zonulin assessments may be useful in CD diagnosis. Additionally, claudin-2 and zonulin measurements may be helpful in evaluating the intensity of the inflammatory process. Anti-TNF-α treatment improved the value of occludin, claudin-2, and zonulin, indicating its beneficial effect on the integrity of tight junctions in UC.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is a chronic inflammatory disorder driven by a complex interplay of immune and proteolytic mechanisms. Neutrophil elastase (NE), released at sites of inflammation, plays a central role by promoting inflammation, degrading the extracellular matrix (ECM), and disturbing intestinal barrier integrity via NF-κB activation and E-cadherin degradation. Elafin, an endogenous NE inhibitor, mitigates proteolytic damage, reinforces the intestinal barrier, and exerts anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing NF-κB and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Since the NE/elafin balance is critical in IBD, assessing their ratio may provide a more precise measure of proteolytic dysregulation. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic utility of urinary NE, elafin, and their ratio in IBD patients. Methods: Urinary concentrations of NE and elafin were measured by immunoassay in 88 subjects including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease patients and healthy individuals. The diagnostic accuracy of these biomarkers was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Urinary NE levels were significantly elevated in both UC and CD patients compared to controls, with a 17-fold increase in the UC patients and a 28-fold increase in the CD patients (p < 0.0001). Elafin levels were also increased in IBD patients. The NE/elafin ratio was significantly increased in both disease groups, with a 4.5-fold increase in the UC and 5.6-fold increase in the CD patients compared to healthy controls. The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the NE/elafin ratio is the most effective biomarker for distinguishing CD patients from healthy individuals (AUC = 0.896), with a high sensitivity (92.9%) and specificity (69.7%), making it a strong diagnostic tool. NE also showed an excellent diagnostic performance both in CD (AUC = 0.842) and UC (AUC = 0.880). The elafin urinary profile had a high diagnostic value, with a better accuracy in the UC patients (AUC = 0.772) than the CD patients (AUC = 0.674), though it was inferior to NE and NE/elafin. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that urinary NE, elafin, the and NE/elafin ratio have significant diagnostic value in differentiating IBD patients from healthy controls. The NE/elafin ratio and NE proved to be the most reliable urinary biomarkers in both CD and UC diagnosis, with a high predictive value and strong discriminatory power.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of chronic intestinal diseases, among which Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) represent the two main types. The differential diagnosis of these two disorders is often a significant challenge, as there is a lack of specific and non-invasive biomarkers. In this study, we assessed the serum profile of proinflammatory mediators (E- and P-selectin, CCL2, IL-1α, IL-12p70, TNF-α) in patients with IBD to identify biomarkers helpful in the differential diagnosis of CD and UC. The conducted statistical analyses revealed a significant increase in E-selectin, P-selectin, IL-1α, and IL-12p70 levels in the serum of CD patients compared to UC. The performed ROC curve analysis identified moderate values of E-selectin (AUC 0.752), P-selectin (AUC 0.733), and IL-1α (AUC 0.731) in differentiating CD from UC, while IL-12p70 presented a satisfactory value (AUC 0.695). Simultaneous measurements of each biomarker with serum calprotectin improved the ability of E-selectin (AUC 0.752 vs. 0.829), P-selectin (AUC 0.733 vs. 0.75), IL-1α (AUC 0.731 vs. 0.778), and IL-12p70 (AUC 0.695 vs. 0.714) to differentiate CD from UC. Moreover, we identified a significant relationship between the concentration of CCL2 (r = 0.566, p < 0.005) and TNF-α (r = 0.431, p < 0.05) and the disease activity expressed as the Mayo score in the UC group. We also identified a significant relationship between the concentration of E-selectin (r = 0.372, p < 0.05), CCL-2 (r = 0.55, p < 0.05), IL-1α (r = 0.637, p < 0.005), and TNF-α in the group of patients with UC. Another significant correlation in the UC group was noted in the case of E-selectin and IL-12p70 (r = 0.542, p < 0.05), as well as between IL1-α and P-selectin (r = 0.514, p < 0.05). The results obtained in this study indicate the potential use of E-selectin, P-selectin, IL-1α, and IL-12p70 serum profiles in differentiating CD from UC. Regarding the significant relationship of CCL2 and TNF-α with the Mayo score, these two biomarkers might be useful in assessing and monitoring the disease activity during UC.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is a group of chronic inflammatory disorders characterized by alternating episodes of flares and clinical remission, often leading to intestinal fibrosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate, among other processes, cell proliferation, inflammation, and fibrosis, all of which are crucial in IBD pathogenesis and healing. Given their role in these mechanisms, miR-103a, miR-145, and miR-191 were selected as promising candidates for IBD diagnostic biomarkers. Serum expressions of miR-103a, miR-145, and miR-191 were analyzed in 47 IBD patients and 30 healthy controls. Expressions were quantified using qPCR and normalized to miR-375-3p. All analyzed miRNAs were significantly upregulated in both UC and CD compared to healthy controls. ROC curve analysis revealed miR-103a as the most promising biomarker, with AUC = 0.893 in UC and AUC = 0.905 in CD. Moreover, miR-103a demonstrated excellent sensitivity and specificity, 89.3% and 80% in UC, and 84.2% and 83.3% in CD, respectively. miR-191 also effectively differentiated UC patients from healthy individuals (AUC = 0.848; sensitivity 89.3%; specificity 80%). Comparable results of diagnostic indicators were obtained in the CD group, however, with lower sensitivity (73.7%). miR-145 showed good ability in differentiating both UC and CD patients with high sensitivity (85.7%; 84.2%) and satisfactory specificity (66.7%; 63.3%). The obtained results indicate the promising diagnostic potential of circulating miR-103a, miR-145, and miR-191 for both UC and CD.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), encompassing ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), are characterized by a complex interplay between chronic inflammatory process and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. This pilot study aims to evaluate the serum levels of three ECM-related proteins—periostin, galectin-3, and tenascin C—as biomarkers supporting IBD diagnosis. Serum concentration of periostin, galectin-3 and tenascin C were measured using the ELISA method in 49 patients with IBD and 30 healthy individuals. Periostin and galectin-3 levels differed significantly between IBD patients and healthy individuals, whereas tenascin C levels did not show a significant difference. The ROC curve analysis identified periostin as the most promising biomarker for differentiation of both UC and CD from healthy individuals. In UC patients, periostin distinguished them from healthy individuals with excellent accuracy (AUC = 0.922), high sensitivity (100%), and good specificity (77.8%). Similarly, in CD patients, periostin demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance with AUC of 0.943, high sensitivity (100%) and good specificity (77.8%). Galectin-3 also showed potential as a diagnostic marker, which discriminated both UC and CD patients with high accuracy of AUC = 0.745 in UC and AUC = 0.691 in CD groups. Moreover, serum galectin-3 levels correlated with CRP levels (r = 0.603, p < 0.05) in the CD group. After one year of conventional anti-inflammatory treatment in CD patients, levels of periostin (p < 0.001) and galectin-3 (p < 0.05) significantly decreased. In contrast UC patients, receiving anti-TNF-α biological therapy showed a significant increase in galectin-3 (p < 0.05) concentrations. Obtained results indicate that circulating periostin and galectin-3 emerge as promising biomarkers for differentiating both UC and CD patients from healthy individuals. Given the significant correlation between galectin-3 and CRP serum levels, galectin-3 may also serve as a useful marker for monitoring disease activity in CD. Furthermore, galectin-3 may be helpful in monitoring the response to both biological or conventional anti-inflammatory treatment in UC and CD patients. Periostin, in turn, may be particularly valuable for evaluating efficacy of conventional anti-inflammatory therapy in CD.

Innovative types of dressings should manifest biodegradability and non-immunogenicity and prevent dehydration. The mentioned technological features are demonstrated by polymeric, nonwoven propolis dressings, which exhibit regenerative properties, produced with the implementation of the electrospinning method. These features are highly needed in the course of burn wound healing. To analyze the dynamics of the changes in content of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), such as heparan sulfates and hyaluronan, a well-known protocol of burn wound healing (the Hoekstra model) was used. Burn wounds were subsequently treated with nonwoven dressings containing either 5% wt or 10% wt propolis. Control groups were treated with either a saline salt solution or nonwoven dressings without propolis. Statistical differences between groups were determined by a multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc tests. Evaluation of the effectiveness of nonwoven dressings containing 5% wt and 10% wt propolis in healing burn wounds, based on the dynamics and concentration of GAGs, revealed apitherapeutic positive effects on injured tissue healing. This research underscores the advantageous impact of utilizing nonwoven dressings containing propolis for the treatment of burn wounds.