Colitis screening using IR spectroscopy of serum samples

Rapid and reliable detection of inflammatory bowel diseases is essential to avoid life-threatening intestinal complications. The conventional pathological methods (colonoscopy/ileoscopy and small bowel follow-through) are invasive and time-consuming. A non-invasive and cost-effective diagnostic regime using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of serum samples would allow the possibility of early diagnosis of disease and for treatment planning. This study presents the spectroscopic analysis of serum sample using mouse models of both (i) Chronic (IL10-/-, genetically induced by Interleukin 10 knockouts) and (ii) Acute (DSS, Dextran Sodium Sulfate chemically induced) colitis. The Arthritis (Collagen Antibody Induced Arthritis) and metabolic syndrome (Toll-like receptor 5 knockouts) models are employed as controls. The identified markers of colitis such as increased presence of mannose accompanied by an alteration in protein secondary structures uniquely screen disease level and distinguish the colitis from the non-colitis samples and the controls. Promoted by these findings of the colitis mouse model we sought to investigate the capability of the technique for the early screening of the human ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.