Evaluation of fecal Activin-A as a novel biomarker for early diagnosis of ulcerative colitis using experimental murine animal model.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate fecal activin-A, in comparison with the currently used calprotectin, as a potential biomarker for early detection of ulcerative colitis (UC). Rats were divided into 4 groups (5 rats each). These included the acute UC group, where rats received 3% dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) for six consecutive days, and the chronic UC group, where rats received 3% DSS for three cycles (each cycle composed of 3 days of treatment and 12 days off). Control groups included animals that received tap water for six days and kept it as a negative control for short-term treatment and those received tap water for 45 days and served as a negative control for long-term treatment. Fecal samples were collected from all animal groups at the end of the study. Activin A and calprotectin levels were measured in collected fecal samples using a commercial ELISA kit for rat Calprotectin and rat Activin-A. The results revealed significant increases in fecal activin-A, and fecal calprotectin in chronic UC and a significant increase in fecal activin-A in acute colitis. It could be concluded that fecal activin-A is a useful biomarker for both acute and chronic UC. However, fecal calprotectin can be used as an indicator for chronic UC.