Huss Muriel, Elger Tanja, Kunst Claudia, Loibl Johanna, Krautbauer Sabrina, Liebisch Gerhard, Kandulski Arne, Müller Martina, Tews Hauke Christian, Buechler Christa
Department of Internal Medicine I, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, Rheumatology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Apr 24;26(9):4034. doi: 10.3390/ijms26094034.
Arachidonic acid levels are elevated in the colonic mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fecal metabolites are emerging as valuable diagnostic tools for IBD. This study aimed to investigate associations between 31 fecal fatty acids, including arachidonic acid, to identify potential correlations with disease severity. Among the 31 fatty acids analyzed in feces, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, and adrenic acid were significantly increased in patients with IBD compared to controls. In contrast, levels of linoleic acid and γ-linolenic acid, the precursors of arachidonic acid, were similar between both groups. No significant differences in fatty acid levels were observed between patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Arachidonic acid and adrenic acid levels positively correlated with fecal calprotectin, a clinically established marker of IBD severity, but showed no association with stool consistency or the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale. This suggests that these fatty acids are linked to disease severity rather than disease-related symptoms. Current IBD-specific medications had no significant impact on the fecal levels of any of the 31 fatty acids. In summary, this study demonstrates elevated fecal levels of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, and adrenic acid in IBD patients. Normal levels of precursor fatty acids suggest that impaired downstream metabolism may contribute to the accumulation of these n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
炎症性肠病（IBD）患者结肠黏膜中的花生四烯酸水平升高。粪便代谢物正成为IBD有价值的诊断工具。本研究旨在调查包括花生四烯酸在内的31种粪便脂肪酸之间的关联，以确定与疾病严重程度的潜在相关性。在粪便中分析的31种脂肪酸中，与对照组相比，IBD患者的二高-γ-亚麻酸、花生四烯酸和肾上腺酸显著增加。相比之下，两组之间花生四烯酸的前体亚油酸和γ-亚麻酸水平相似。克罗恩病患者和溃疡性结肠炎患者的脂肪酸水平没有显著差异。花生四烯酸和肾上腺酸水平与粪便钙卫蛋白呈正相关，粪便钙卫蛋白是临床上已确立的IBD严重程度标志物，但与大便稠度或胃肠道症状评分量表无关。这表明这些脂肪酸与疾病严重程度相关，而非与疾病相关症状相关。目前的IBD特异性药物对31种脂肪酸中的任何一种的粪便水平均无显著影响。总之，本研究表明IBD患者粪便中二高-γ-亚麻酸、花生四烯酸和肾上腺酸水平升高。前体脂肪酸水平正常表明下游代谢受损可能导致这些n-6多不饱和脂肪酸的积累。
