Evaluation of serum human galectin 3 as a marker of activity in inflammatory bowel disease in comparison to fecal calprotectin.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic and recurring inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal system that has an unknown cause and is marked by periods of relapse and remission. Endoscopy remains the gold standard for assessing disease activity; however, noninvasive biomarkers are needed to reduce the burden of repeated invasive procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the role of serum galectin 3 as a biomarker of disease activity in IBD and compare its performance with fecal calprotectin. The study included 40 individuals who were diagnosed with active IBD ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease, and 40 age and sex matched normal controls. Clinical assessment and laboratory investigations which included complete blood picture, C-reactive protein, fecal calprotectin, serum albumin and serum galectin 3 were measured and analyzed. Serum galectin 3 levels were higher in patients with active UC than in clinical remission patients (p<0.001) and higher in patients with Crohn's disease (p<0.001). In clinical, remission patients without full mucosal healing, serum galectin 3 was positively correlated with endoscopic disease activity represented with Mayo score, Mayo endoscopic sub-score and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (p<0.001). The cut off value of serum galectin 3 for determining disease activity was >5.199 µg/ml with 100 % sensitivity, 92 %, specificity and accuracy of 99.6%.The combined use of Serum galectin 3, CRP and fecal calprotectin improved the performance, achieving 100% sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, serum galectin 3 is a promising noninvasive biomarker for assessing disease activity in patients with IBD. Combined assessment with CRP and fecal calprotectin may further enhance the diagnostic accuracy.