| A biomarker that can reliably assess the disease activity of ulcerative colitis (UC), especially during the clinical remission phase. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a major chemical mediator for promoting and suppressing inflammation and has been shown to increase in the blood, especially due to the effects of deep mucosal inflammation. PGE2 metabolites are excreted in the urine through enzymatic reactions in the lungs and oxidation in the liver and kidneys, known as prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM), which is highly stable. PGE-MUM correlated strongly with Mayo endoscopic sub-score and histological activity. The diagnostic ability was better than that of C-reactive protein. We demonstrated that PGE-MUM could also diagnose the achievement of endoscopic remission (p=0.028), histological remission (p=0.004), and complete mucosal healing (as the achievement of endoscopic and histological remission, p=0.021), even in patients in clinical remission. The diagnostic ability of PGE-MUM for the diagnosis of endoscopic remission, histological remission, and complete mucosal healing was equivalent to that of fecal biomarkers (p=0.636, 0.818, and 0.782). Although there is still little evidence, it is expected to be used as a monitoring marker for patients with UC instead of colonoscopy and tissue biopsy. In this session, I would like to present and discuss this novel biomarker's ability and usefulness. |
