Apelin Levels According to the Site of Involvement in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), presents ongoing challenges in terms of diagnosis and management. With increasing treatment options, reliable markers for assessing treatment response have become crucial. This study explored the potential of apelin, a peptide hormone implicated in inflammation, as a biomarker for monitoring disease activity in patients with IBD undergoing colonoscopy.Materials and Methods: The study included 91 patients who were followed up for IBD. Apelin levels were measured in serum, and the site of involvement was simultaneously examined by colonoscopy. Alternations of apelin levels depending on the location of involvement was also considered.Results: Despite the widespread presence of apelin in the gastrointestinal system (GIS), our findings did not reveal significant differences in apelin levels among patients with varying colonoscopic involvement (p=0.73).Conclusion: Although apelin has potential as a biomarker of gastrointestinal inflammation in IBD, its precise role and clinical applicability necessitate comprehensive studies involving larger patient populations. Future research on apelin and IBD could refine its utility in disease monitoring and enhance its diagnostic significance.