evaluation of microrna-29a expression and dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 level in ulcerative colitis patients

Objective: ulcerative colitis (uc) is a recurrent inflammatory bowel disease (ibd) that increases at an alarming rate around the world. the microrna-29 (mirna-29) family has been implicated in the pathogenesis of uc. in recent year, the alteration of dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (dpp4) levels in ibd patients has been reported. in the present study, we evaluated the relationship between mirna-29a expression of intestinal tissue and serum dpp4 level in uc patients and healthy subjects.methods: blood samples and colonic punch biopsy were obtained from 35 uc, and 29 healthy subjects. serum levels of dpp-4 were evaluated by elisa technique. the expression levels of mirna-29 were assessed by qrt-pcr. also, biochemical parameters and demographic information were collected based on patient tests and questionnaire.results: the results of this study showed a significant increase of mirna-29a in intestinal tissue of uc patients compared to control. in addition, elevated expression of mirna-29a was accompanied by a decrease in serum levels of dpp4, but there was no significant difference between moderate and severe conditions. furthermore, the levels of c-reactive protein (crp), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr), and platelet were higher in uc patients relative to those without uc.conclusions: these findings supported the role of the mirna-29a-dpp4 axis in the pathogenesis of uc and provide the evidence for the further evaluation of this axis as biomarkers of the disease.