Recent articles indicate the possibility of preclinical disease detection of inflammatory bowel disease; perhaps this is analagous to the “precrime’ detection in The Minority Report which allowed the police to arrest people before they committed their crime.

D Bergemalm et al. Gastroenterol 2021; 161: 1526-1539. Open Access: Systemic Inflammation in Preclinical Ulcerative Colitis

In this study from Sweden, the authors used biobanked plasma samples from 72 individuals with ulcerative colitis (UC) and matched healthy controls (n=140). Then the findings were validated in an inception cohort (n=101 with UC and 50 healthy controls. In addition, a cohort of heathy twin siblings of patients with UC (n=41) were matched with healthy controls (n=37).

Key findings:

• Six proteins (MMP10, CXCL9, CCL11, SLAMF1, CXCL11 and MCP-1) were up-regulated (P < .05) in preclinical ulcerative colitis compared with controls
• MMP10, CXCL9, CXCL11, and MCP1, but not CCL11 and SLAMF1, were significantly up-regulated among the healthy twin siblings. This up-regulation is triggered by exposure to genetic and early environmental factors.

The discussion elaborates on the role of these proteins.

• “MMP10 is classified as a stromelysin. Upregulated levels of stromelysin have been detected in inflamed segments of the colon from patients with ulcerative colitis….The observed preclinical upregulation of MMP10 [thought to promote wound healing] in plasma might indicate that endogenous pathways for wound healing are up-regulated several years before clinically overt ulcerative colitis to counteract disease progression and maintain mucosal homeostasis”
• “Eotaxin (CCL11) is a potent chemoattractant of monocytes…eosinophilic-driven inflammation represents an early element in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis”
• “CXCL9 and CXCL11 has been observed previously in inflamed colonic tissue specimens and blood from patients with ulcerative colitis… Both chemokines are regulated by IFN-gamma and attract CXCR3-positive CD4þ T cells and natural killer cells to the inflammatory site”

My take: This study shows up-regulation of 6 plasma proteins indicating activation of both pro-inflammatory and tissue-repairing pathways several years before clinically overt UC. It offers hope of intervention to prevent the development of UC.

Related study: S-H Lee et al. Gastroenterol 2021; 161: 1540-1551. Open Access: Anti-Microbial Antibody Response is Associated With Future Onset of Crohn’s Disease Independent of Biomarkers of Altered Gut Barrier Function, Subclinical Inflammation, and Genetic Risk

In this study, the authors measured host serum antibody response to 6 microbial antigens at enrollment (Prometheus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test: anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies immunoglobulin A/immunoglobulin G, anti-OmpC, anti-A4-Fla2, anti-FlaX, anti-CBir1) and derived the sum of positive antibodies (AS).

Key finding:

“High baseline AS (≥2) (43% of cases, 11% of controls) was associated with higher risk of developing CD (adjusted odds ratio, 6.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.4–12.7; P < .001). Importantly, this association remained significant when adjusted for markers of gut barrier function, fecal calprotectin, C-reactive protein, and CD-polygenic risk score, and in subjects recruited more than 3 years before diagnosis. Causal mediation analysis showed that the effect of high AS on future CD development is partially mediated (42%) via preclinical gut inflammation.