A Fragment of Collagen Type VI alpha-3 chain is Elevated in Serum from Patients with Gastrointestinal Disorders
Abstract
Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is a hallmark of the pathology of gastrointestinal disorders. Collagen type VI (COL6) is produced by fibroblasts, and the COL6 α3-chain has shown to be elevated in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Measuring COL6α3 in serum may therefore have potential as a biomarker for gastrointestinal disorders. The aims of this study were to develop and validate a competitive ELISA targeting a specific neo-epitope of COL6α3 and evaluate its associations with the gastrointestinal disorders UC, CD and CRC, in comparison to healthy controls. A monoclonal antibody was raised against a matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 specific cleavage site of COL6α3 (C6Mα3) and employed in a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The assay was developed and technically validated. Levels of C6Mα3 were measured in serum from patients with UC (n = 58), CD (n = 44) and CRC (n = 39) and compared to healthy controls (n = 32). The levels of C6Mα3 were elevated in patients with UC, CD and CRC patients compared to healthy controls (all p