Chemerin as a biomarker of inflammatory bowel diseases: a meta-analysis

Chemerin, an adipokine involved in immune regulation and inflammation, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). However, existing studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding its diagnostic value. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the association between blood chemerin levels and IBD. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) up to February 10, 2024. Observational studies comparing blood chemerin levels between IBD patients and healthy controls, or between active and non-active IBD, were included. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using a random-effects model by incorporating the possible influence of the heterogeneity. Ten case-control studies with 18 datasets involving 799 CD patients, 520 UC patients, 609 healthy controls, were included. Compared with healthy controls, IBD patients had significantly higher blood chemerin levels (SMD: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.46–0.76, p < 0.001; I² = 48%). This association remained consistent across subgroups by disease type, study quality score, study region, and BMI matching (p for subgroup difference all > 0.05). Furthermore, chemerin levels were higher in active versus non-active IBD patients (SMD: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15–0.57, p < 0.001; I² = 38%), with robust findings across subgroup and sensitivity analyses. No significant publication bias was detected. Elevated blood chemerin levels are associated with both the presence and activity of IBD, supporting its potential role as a non-invasive biomarker for disease diagnosis and monitoring.