Serum Cytokine Profiles in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Clinical Remission: A Cross-Sectional Comparison by Anti-TNF Therapy.

INTRODUCTION

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are a group of idiopathic diseases that include Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). According to the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, 6.8 million people lived with IBD in 2017. Monitoring cytokine levels can provide information about the effectiveness of therapy and help adjust treatment to achieve better clinical outcomes. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess whether serum cytokine profiles differ between patients receiving anti-TNF therapy and those not receiving biologic treatment in a cohort restricted to clinical remission, and to evaluate their potential clinical utility.

METHODS

The study included 132 IBD patients who were in remission of the disease and 29 control subjects. Cytokine levels (GM-CSF, INFγ, IL13, IL1β, IL4, IL23, IL6, TNFα) were measured and compared between patients receiving biologic therapy and those not receiving biologic treatment.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in the concentrations of the cytokines studied between the individual groups of patients receiving anti-TNF therapy and those receiving conventional therapy. Overall, cytokine profiles showed limited discriminatory value in patients in clinical remission.

CONCLUSION

Regardless of the treatment method used (conventional vs. biologic therapy), no differences were observed in the profiles of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines among patients in clinical remission. These results suggest that blood levels of TNF-α and other cytokines do not depend solely on anti-TNF therapy, indicating the need for longitudinal studies to assess their potential role in predicting relapse or loss of response to treatment.