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In this study, the effects of vitamin D3 (Vit. D) and a stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L. (UD)) extract were examined using histopathological and immunohistochemical methods in the stomach tissues of an experimentally created rat model of CD. The CD model was created using trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). The animals in the study were divided into control, TNBS, TNBS+Vit. D, and TNBS+UD groups. At the end of the experiment, the animals were euthanised and their stomach tissues were evaluated for necrosis, degeneration, apoptosis, and inflammation. Additionally, an immunohistochemical method was applied to determine the somatostatin (SSTR), aquaporin-1 (AQP-1), caspase-3, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) immunoreactivity in the gastric tissues. In the evaluations, degenerative and necrotic changes and mononuclear cell infiltration areas were observed in the TNBS group, but such changes could be improved with Vit. D and UD applications. The results suggest that the combination of the Vit. D and UD extract may have a protective and therapeutic role in mitigating TNBS-induced damage to the gastric tissues, potentially through the regulation of SSTR, AQP-1, caspase-3, and TNF-α expression. This indicates a promising avenue for further research and the exploration of these compounds in the context of gastrointestinal health.

Introduction Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Genetic susceptibility together with environmental factors disturbs intestinal homeostasis, resulting in repeated and chronic inflammation with remission and exacerbation cycles. Cathelicidin (LL-37) is an antimicrobial peptide known to be associated with various autoimmune diseases. The authors have attempted to determine if cathelicidin can accurately reflect IBD disease activity. The authors hypothesized that serum cathelicidin correlates with mucosal disease activity. Aims The aim was to correlate circulating cathelicidin level with mucosal disease activity in patient with IBD. Patients and methods This is a case-control study that was conducted on 90 adult participants, comprising 60 patients with IBD and 30 non-IBD cases studied as a control group, who attended the gastrointestinal endoscopy and liver unit at Al-Zahraa University and El-Haram Hospital. All participants were subjected to complete medical history, physical examination, laboratory investigations, and colonoscopic examination. LL-37 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data from patients were used for calculation of accuracies in indicating mucosal disease activity. Results There was a highly significant increase of serum LL-37 level in patients with IBD than control. Serum cathelicidin level was negatively correlated with partial Mayo scores for patients with UC and Harvey–Bradshaw indices for patients with CD. Among patients with IBD, low LL-37 level indicates moderate or severe disease activity, and high LL-37 level indicates remission. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were directly correlated with partial Mayo score for patients with UC and Harvey–Bradshaw index for patients with CD. Co-evaluation of LL-37 and CRP levels was more accurate than CRP alone or LL-37 alone in the correlation with Mayo endoscopic score for patients with UC. Conclusion Patients with IBD have increased serum level of LL-37. Evaluation of both LL-37 and CRP can indicate mucosal disease activity in patients with UC, and both in combination are better indicators than LL-37 or CRP alone.

Background and aim Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with alterations in fat mass and fat distributions, with changed productions of adipokines, including omentin-1. Omentin-1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. The aim was to determine the serum and mucosal omentin-1 levels in CD patients and to evaluate its potential as a marker for disease activity. Patients and methods Seventy-five adult consecutive outpatients, with a confirmed diagnosis of CD, and 45 age-matched, sex-matched, and BMI-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study after written conscious consent and approval by the Institutional Review Board of Mansoura University. CD was diagnosed by conventional clinical, radiological, endoscopic, and histopathological criteria. Serum levels and mucosal mRNA expression of omentin-1 were measured by commercially available kits according to the manufacturer’s protocols. Results Serum omentin-1 and its mucosal gene expression were significantly lower in patients with CD (53.3±12.8) than in healthy controls (72.7±16.8, P˂0.0001). Moreover, serum omentin-1 levels were significantly lower in patients with active CD (36.2±9.6) than in patients in remission (69.2±14.4, P≤0.0001). No significant differences were demonstrated between patients in remission and healthy controls (P>0.05). In CD patients, the decrease in serum omentin-1 was associated with a significantly higher BMI, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Crohn’s disease activity index, simplified endoscopic score for CD and inflammation scores (P≤0.05). Moreover, omentin-1 was much superior to C-reactive protein in predicting CD activity and severity. Conclusion Serum and mucosal expression of omentin-1 might be a reliable surrogate noninvasive marker of disease activity in CD with significantly high sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy.