Role of B-Cell Activating Factor (BAFF) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

As early commencement of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment has been shown to substantially improve outcomes, it is of utmost importance to make a timely diagnosis of this disease. Despite undisputed sensitivity of fecal calprotectin, the most widely accepted IBD biomarker, in discriminating between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and IBD, as well as recognized role in monitoring disease activity and response to therapy, perhaps the biggest setback of calprotectin use in IBD is lack of specificity. Therefore, an additional biomarker in IBD is warranted. B-cell activating factor (BAFF), a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily, recently emerged as a viable candidate for this role. So far, overproduction of BAFF has been observed in various autoimmune diseases, most notably in systemic lupus erythematosus, where BAFF-inhibitor belimumab was approved for treatment. As BAFF levels were also shown to correlate with indices of IBD, in this review we aimed to summarize the current evidence with respect to the role of BAFF in diagnosis and assessing the activity of IBD, as well as putative therapeutic implications that may arise from exploring of this relation.

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B cell-activating factor (BAFF) in children with inflammatory bowel disease

Pediatric Research ◽

10.1038/s41390-020-01155-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ioana Fodor ◽

Oana Serban ◽

Daniela E. Serban ◽

Dorin Farcau ◽

Sorin Claudiu Man ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

B Cell ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

B Cell Activating Factor ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

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Role of epithelial ion transports in inflammatory bowel disease

AJP Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpgi.00369.2015 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 310 (7) ◽

pp. G460-G476 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Diogo Magalhães ◽

José Miguel Cabral ◽

Patrício Soares-da-Silva ◽

Fernando Magro

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Ionic Transport ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Sodium Absorption ◽

Inflammatory Disorder ◽

Chronic Inflammatory Disorder ◽

Potassium Secretion ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder with a complex pathogenesis. Diarrhea is a highly prevalent and often debilitating symptom of IBD patients that results, at least in part, from an intestinal hydroelectrolytic imbalance. Evidence suggests that reduced electrolyte absorption is more relevant than increased secretion to this disequilibrium. This systematic review analyses and integrates the current evidence on the roles of epithelial Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA), Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs), epithelial Na+ channels (ENaC), and K+ channels (KC) in IBD-associated diarrhea. NKA is the key driving force of the transepithelial ionic transport and its activity is decreased in IBD. In addition, the downregulation of apical NHE and ENaC and the upregulation of apical large-conductance KC all contribute to the IBD-associated diarrhea by lowering sodium absorption and/or increasing potassium secretion.

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B Cell-Activating Factor as a New Potential Marker in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Digestive Diseases and Sciences ◽

10.1007/s10620-016-4136-z ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (9) ◽

pp. 2608-2618 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Peipei Zhang ◽

Xiaojing Liu ◽

Aili Guo ◽

Jing Xiong ◽

Yu Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

B Cell ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

B Cell Activating Factor ◽

Potential Marker ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

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The Role of T Follicular Helper Cells and Interleukin-21 in the Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Gastroenterology Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2021/9621738 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Lulu Sun ◽

Ruixue Kong ◽

Hua Li ◽

Dashan Wang

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

B Cell ◽

Antibody Production ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

B Cell Lymphoma ◽

Tfh Cells ◽

Follicular Helper ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

Interleukin 21

T follicular helper (Tfh) cells represent a novel subset of CD4+ T cells which can provide critical help for germinal center (GC) formation and antibody production. The Tfh cells are characterized by the expression of CXC chemokine receptor 5 (CXCR5), programmed death 1 (PD-1), inducible costimulatory molecule (ICOS), B cell lymphoma 6 (BCL-6), and the secretion of interleukin-21 (IL-21). Given the important role of Tfh cells in B cell activation and high-affinity antibody production, Tfh cells are involved in the pathogenesis of many human diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases characterized by symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are the most studied types of IBD. Dysregulated mucosal immune response plays an important role in the pathogenesis of IBD. In recent years, many studies have identified the critical role of Tfh cells and IL-21 in the pathogenic process IBD. In this paper, we will discuss the role of Tfh cells and IL-21 in IBD pathogenesis.

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Intestinal Ultrasound in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Valuable and Increasingly Important Tool

GE Portuguese Journal of Gastroenterology ◽

10.1159/000520212 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Catarina Frias-Gomes ◽

Joana Torres ◽

Carolina Palmela

Keyword(s):

Ulcerative Colitis ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Crohn’S Disease ◽

Crohn's Disease ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Response To Therapy ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

Background: Intestinal ultrasound is emerging as a non-invasive tool for monitoring disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease patients due to its low cost, excellent safety profile, and availability. Herein, we comprehensively review the role of intestinal ultrasound in the management of these patients. Summary: Intestinal ultrasound has a good accuracy in the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, as well as in the assessment of disease activity, extent, and evaluating disease-related complications, namely strictures, fistulae, and abscesses. Even though not fully validated, several scores have been developed to assess disease activity using ultrasound. Importantly, intestinal ultrasound can also be used to assess response to treatment. Changes in ultrasonographic parameters are observed as early as 4 weeks after treatment initiation and persist during short- and long-term follow-up. Additionally, Crohn’s disease patients with no ultrasound improvement seem to be at a higher risk of therapy intensification, need for steroids, hospitalisation, or even surgery. Similarly to Crohn’s disease, intestinal ultrasound has a good performance in the diagnosis, activity, and disease extent assessment in ulcerative colitis patients. In fact, in patients with severe acute colitis, higher bowel wall thickness at admission is associated with the need for salvage therapy and the absence of a significant decrease in this parameter may predict the need for colectomy. Short-term data also evidence the role of intestinal ultrasound in evaluating therapy response, with ultrasound changes observed after 2 weeks of treatment and significant improvement after 12 weeks of follow-up in ulcerative colitis. Key Messages: Intestinal ultrasound is a valuable tool to assess disease activity and complications, and to monitor response to therapy. Even though longer prospective data are warranted, intestinal ultrasound may lead to a change in the paradigm of inflammatory bowel disease management as it can be used in a point-of-care setting, enabling earlier intervention if needed.

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On the Pathogenesis Trail: What Marker B Cell Clones Tell Us about Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology ◽

10.1155/1996/198982 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 115-119

Author(s):

Jonathan Braun ◽

Yadrira Valles-Ayoub ◽

Linda Berberian ◽

Mark Eggena ◽

Lynn K Gordon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ulcerative Colitis ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Crohn’S Disease ◽

Crohn's Disease ◽

B Cell ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Practical Importance ◽

Cell Clones ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

Clonal patterns of B cell activity have been recognized in inflammatory bowel disease, most notably in the immunogenetic relationship of perinuclear-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies to ulcerative colitis. Conceptually, this most likely reflects the B cell response to antigens predominating at these sites of mucosal inflammation. Identification of these B cell clones and their antigenic targets may be of pathogenetic and practical importance to diagnosis and treatment. The authors describe strategies to identify such clones, based on recent advances in the characterization and detection of antibody gene products. As an example of this strategy, a clonal detection system was used to identify new marker antibodies potentially useful in the laboratory diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. One surprising outcome of such studies is the unexpected and specific association of the B cell clonal response inCampylobacter jejunienterocolitis and inflammatory bowel disease. By analogy to the pathogenetic role ofHelicobacter pylori-induced mucositis in peptic ulcer disease, this evidence renews attention to the role of Cjejuniin the initiation of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

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Pharmacogenetics of Biological Agents Used in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Biomedicines ◽

10.3390/biomedicines9121748 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1748

Author(s):

Rita Lauro ◽

Federica Mannino ◽

Natasha Irrera ◽

Francesco Squadrito ◽

Domenica Altavilla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Response To Therapy ◽

Search Term ◽

Biological Drugs ◽

The Past ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

Inflammatory Drugs

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) comprises a group of disorders, in particular Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), characterized by chronic inflammation affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment of these conditions is primarily based on anti-inflammatory drugs, although the use of biological drugs with lower side effects quickly increased in the last decade. However, the presence of certain polymorphisms in the population may determine a different outcome in response to therapy, reflecting the heterogeneity of the efficacy in patients. Considering that several studies showed important correlations between genetic polymorphisms and response to biological treatments in IBD patients, this systematic review aims to summarize the pharmacogenetics of biologicals approved for IBD, thus highlighting a possible association between some polymorphisms and drug response. With this purpose, we reviewed PubMed papers published over the past 21 years (2000–2021), using as the search term “drug name and IBD or CD or UC and polymorphisms” to underline the role of pharmacogenetic tests in approaching the disease with a targeted therapy.

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Myostatin and Follistatin—New Kids on the Block in the Diagnosis of Sarcopenia in IBD and Possible Therapeutic Implications

Biomedicines ◽

10.3390/biomedicines9101301 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1301

Author(s):

Dorota Skrzypczak ◽

Marzena Skrzypczak-Zielińska ◽

Alicja Ewa Ratajczak ◽

Aleksandra Szymczak-Tomczak ◽

Piotr Eder ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Therapeutic Implications ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

Biological Aspects ◽

Effective Medication

Sarcopenia, which is a decrease in muscle strength and quality of muscle tissue, is a common disorder among patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. This particular group of patients often presents with malnutrition and shows low physical activity, which increases the risk of sarcopenia. Another important factor in the development of sarcopenia is an imbalanced ratio of myostatin and follistatin, which may stem from inflammation as well as genetic factors. Currently, research in this area continues, and is aimed at identifying an effective medication for the treatment of this condition. Additionally, we still have no sarcopenia markers that can be used for diagnosis. In this paper, we address the role of myostatin and follistatin as potential markers in the diagnosis of sarcopenia in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, particularly in view of the genetic and biological aspects. We also present data on new perspectives in the pharmacotherapy of sarcopenia (i.e., myostatin inhibitors and gene therapy). Nevertheless, knowledge is still scarce about the roles of follistatin and myostatin in sarcopenia development among patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, which warrants further study.

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