Diagnostic value of anti-integrin v 6 antibodies in ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC)-related mucosal inflammation is characterized by the production of various autoantibodies with limited clinical relevance. Recent studies have shown that circulating levels of IgG against integrin alpha v beta 6 are increased in UC patients as compared to Crohn's disease (CD) patients and healthy controls (HC). The present study assessed the diagnostic value of circulating IgG anti- alpha v beta 6 in UC.Sera were prospectively collected from 108 outpatients with UC, 103 patients with CD, and 62 HC, and the levels of IgG anti- alpha v beta 6 were measured using a commercially available ELISA kit. The cut-off for positive results was defined as the 95th percentile of the values of the autoantibodies in HC serum samples. Levels of IgG anti- alpha v beta 6 were significantly higher in UC than in CD patients, including those with colonic localization, and HC. Fifty-six of the 108 (51.8%) UC patients had a positive test whereas only 17/103 (16.5%) patients with CD, and among these, 4/16 (25%) patients with colonic CD, were positive. In UC, there was no statistical difference between patients with IgG anti- alpha v beta 6 positivity and those negative in terms of clinical disease activity, fecal calprotectin values, and disease extent. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value, and predictive negative value of the test to differentiate between UC and CD were 51.9% (C.I.42.4-61.3), 83.5% (C.I. 76.3-90.7), 76.7% (C.I. 67.0-86.4), and 62.3% (C.I. 54.2-70.4) respectively.Our study confirms that anti- alpha v beta 6 antibodies are demonstrable in the serum of the majority of UC patients and suggests the necessity of further research to understand if the anti- alpha v beta 6 antibody determination could have a place in the clinical decision-making of IBD.(c) 2023 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.