Serum High-Mobility Group Box-1 as a Biomarker of Disease Activity in Ulcerative Colitis: A Case–Control Study
Document Type : Scientific Research
Authors
- Ahmed Mohamed EL Ghandour
- Shereen Abou Bakr Saleh
- Omnia Abdelhamid Hassan Ahmed Saleh
- Ahmed Mohamed Naguib Amer
Department of Internal Medicine, Hepatology and Gastroenterology Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Abstract
Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurrent mucosal inflammation of the colon. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) protein, plays an important role in inflammation and immune regulation and has been proposed as a potential biomarker in inflammatory bowel disease.
Aim: To evaluate serum HMGB1 levels in patients with UC and investigate their association with clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic disease activity.
Patients and Methods: This case-control study included 90 participants: 45 patients with UC and 45 age- and sex-matched healthy controls recruited from Ain Shams University Hospitals. Serum HMGB1 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic data were analyzed in relation to HMGB1 levels.
Results: Serum HMGB1 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with UC than in healthy controls (Z = 8.098, P < 0.001). No significant associations were found between HMGB1 levels and disease severity based on the Truelove and Witts classification, Mayo endoscopic subscore, inflammatory markers (CRP and ESR), or other clinical parameters. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance of serum HMGB1 in distinguishing patients with UC from healthy controls.
Conclusion: Serum HMGB1 concentrations are significantly elevated in UC and may serve as a promising non-invasive diagnostic biomarker. However, serum HMGB1 was not associated with disease activity in this cohort. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify its role in disease monitoring and prognosis.
Aim: To evaluate serum HMGB1 levels in patients with UC and investigate their association with clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic disease activity.
Patients and Methods: This case-control study included 90 participants: 45 patients with UC and 45 age- and sex-matched healthy controls recruited from Ain Shams University Hospitals. Serum HMGB1 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic data were analyzed in relation to HMGB1 levels.
Results: Serum HMGB1 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with UC than in healthy controls (Z = 8.098, P < 0.001). No significant associations were found between HMGB1 levels and disease severity based on the Truelove and Witts classification, Mayo endoscopic subscore, inflammatory markers (CRP and ESR), or other clinical parameters. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance of serum HMGB1 in distinguishing patients with UC from healthy controls.
Conclusion: Serum HMGB1 concentrations are significantly elevated in UC and may serve as a promising non-invasive diagnostic biomarker. However, serum HMGB1 was not associated with disease activity in this cohort. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify its role in disease monitoring and prognosis.
Highlights
- Elevated Diagnostic Marker: Serum HMGB1 levels are significantly higher in patients with ulcerative colitis than in healthy controls, demonstrating high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.998, cutoff > 14.5 ng/mL).
- Diagnostic Utility: Serum HMGB1 serves as a promising non-invasive biomarker to distinguish patients with ulcerative colitis from healthy individuals.
- Activity Independence: Serum HMGB1 levels do not correlate with clinical severity (Truelove and Witts), endoscopic severity (Mayo subscore), or conventional inflammatory markers (CRP and ESR).
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