Fatty Acids as Useful Serological Markers for Crohn’s Disease

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported that patients with Crohn's disease (CD) have a very specific erythrocyte membrane phospholipid fatty acid profile. The findings of this study suggest that the activities of enzymes involved in the metabolism of linoleic acid (LA), that is, delta-6 desaturase, are higher in CD patients than in healthy individuals. METHODS: We evaluated the utilities of various fatty acid compositions of the plasma (p-) as new serological markers for CD compared to those of erythrocyte membranes (e-). RESULTS: Fifty CD patients and 50 healthy individuals were enrolled. In both plasma and erythrocyte membranes, the weight percentages of palmitic acid (PA) were significantly higher, while those of LA were significantly lower in CD patients than in controls. Fatty acids with high sensitivity and specificity were p-PA (0.86 and 0.74) and e-PA (0.80 and 0.74). With PA and LA as a CD fatty acid index (CDFAi), that is, CDFAi = (PA/LA), the sensitivity and specificity of plasma CDFAi (p-CDFAi) and e-CDFAi were 0.80 and 0.80; and 0.82 and 0.88 respectively. CONCLUSION: In CD patients, various fatty acids were specifically altered in both plasma and erythrocytes, and p-PA and p-CDFAi are potentially useful as new serological markers for CD.