N.N. Zybina1, E.P. Salyanova2, Yu.S. Timofeev3, A.A. Alferov4, O.V. Kovaleva5, P.V. Tsarapaev6, N.V. Lyubimova7, E.L. Nikonov8, N.E. Kushlinskii9

1 A.M. Nikifirov All-Russian Center for Emergency and Radiation Medicine
Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia (St. Petersburg, Russia)

2–4,7 A.I. Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry
of the Ministry of Health of Russia (Moscow, Russia)

5,6,9 N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology of the Ministry of Health of Russia (Moscow, Russia)

8 Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (Moscow)

Zonulin is involved in the regulation of intestinal permeability and is closely associated with innate intestinal immunity. Changes in the permeability of the intestinal wall as a result of impaired tight junctions are associated with the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, including various inflammatory processes in the intestine, which may be accompanied by increased secretion of zonulin.

The aim of the work is a comparative analysis of the level of zonulin in the blood serum of healthy donors and patients with various inflammatory bowel diseases.

Comparative enzyme immunoassay of zonulin serum levels in 63 healthy (control group; 33 men and 30 women; age 20-68 years) and 75 patients (28 men and 47 women; age 18-70 years) with inflammatory bowel disease revealed that the zonulin levels are not associated with age, however, in the control group, the average levels of the factor were statistically significantly lower in women (30.9±2.2 ng/ml) than in men (39.4±3.2 ng/ml) (p=0.037) and significantly lower compared to the general group of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (35.4±2.1 and 49.4±2.0 ng/ml, respectively; p=0.0000001). An analysis of the levels of zonulin in the blood serum of patients with various types of inflammatory bowel diseases was carried out. It was found that the average level of zonulin in the blood serum of the control group was statistically significantly lower (p<0.05) than in patients with mixed irritable bowel syndrome (55.7±2.9 ng/ml), with ulcerative colitis (54.6±3.8 ng/ml), with Crohn's disease (54.5±10.1 ng/ml). It was found that serum concentrations of zonulin did not differ between the control group and patients with functional bowel disorders (37.8±4.9 ng/ml), irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (44.9±5.7 ng/ml), irritable bowel syndrome intestines with a tendency to constipation (41.7±5.1 ng/ml).

The possibilities of using serum zonulin in the diagnosis of various inflammatory bowel diseases are discussed.

Zybina N.N., Salyanova E.P., Timofeev Yu.S., Alferov A.A., Kovaleva O.V., Tsarapaev P.V., Lyubimova N.V., Nikonov E.L., Kushlinskii N.E. Comparative analysis of serum levels of zonulin in healthy donors and patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. Technologies of Living Systems. 2022. V. 19. № 3. Р. 15-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j20700997-202203-02 (In Russian)

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