Serum Trefoil Factor 3 as a Biomarker for Mucosal Healing in Ulcerative Colitis patients: Case control study

Background: Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a relapsing, long-lasting, and colon remitting inflammatory disease. UC is diagnosed through observation of symptoms, signs, endoscopy, and histology. Precise diagnosis and staging of the illness are crucial as they impact both treatment choices and prognosis. Aim of the Work: This study aimed to assess serum Trefoil Factor 3 (TFF3) as a mucosal healing (MH) marker in UC cases. Patients and Methods: The present study was conducted on 25 UC patients in activity, 25 patients in remission, and 25 control subjects with clinical, biochemical, and endoscopic evaluation. All patients had a comprehensive history, clinical examination, standard laboratory tests, ESR, CRP, CBC, fecal calprotectin (FC), TFF3, and colonoscopy. Results: The best cut off point to TFF3 was determined by ROC curve to differentiate between remission and active groups was > 71 with sensitivity of 92.0%, AUC of 0.932, and 96.0% specificity. There was a significantly elevated CRP, FC and TFF3 among disease activity in relation to remission and control. However, hemoglobin level was significantly lower in activity and remission patients in comparison to healthy control. There was positive correlation between TFF3 and MES. Conclusion: Serum trefoil factor 3 level increased during disease activity and decreased during remission and MH which makes serum TFF3 level can be utilized for MH prediction in UC and endoscopic remission.