Faecal leukocyte esterase activity is an alternative biomarker in inflammatory bowel disease
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Els N. Dumoulin
Abstract
Background: Leukocyte cytosolic proteins (e.g., calprotectin) are emerging biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease. Leukocyte aryl esterase activity has been commonly used for sensitive detection of leukocytes in human body fluids such as urine. Urine test strip results are generally reported in categories. As automated strip readers allow quantitative data to be reported, sensitive quantitative detection of leukocytes in body fluids has become possible. Here, we explored the use of leukocyte esterase as a potential alternative faecal biomarker for inflammatory bowel disease.
Methods: We evaluated leukocyte esterase activity in faecal extracts and compared Cobas u 411 (Roche) quantitative reflectance data with calprotectin concentration for 107 routine samples. Stability of leukocyte esterase for trypsin digestion was carried out by adding trypsin to the extract. Incubation occurred at 37 °C for 24 h or 48 h.
Results: Reproducibility of the reflectance signal was good (within-run imprecision: 6.1%; between-run imprecision: 6.2%). Results were linear in the range 103–106 WBC/100 mg faeces. The lower limit of detection was 4 WBC/μL and the lower limit of quantification was 5 WBC/μL. Stability of LE activity in stool and faecal matrix was good. An adequate correlation was obtained between leukocyte esterase activity and the faecal calprotectin concentration: log(y)=4.28+0.29log(x). In vitro experiments monitored the digestion of leukocyte esterase and faecal calprotectin. Leukocyte esterase activity was significantly less affected by trypsin activity than calprotectin immunoreactivity.
Conclusions: Quantitative leukocyte esterase activity of faecal extracts provides information about the leukocyte count in the gut lumen. Leukocyte esterase is a promising and affordable alternative biomarker for monitoring inflammatory bowel disease.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Mrs. Elke Lecocq for her technical support.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Financial support: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The funding organisation(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
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©2015 by De Gruyter
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Biomarkers of inflammatory bowel disease: ready for prime time?
- Review
- Discriminant indices for distinguishing thalassemia and iron deficiency in patients with microcytic anemia: a meta-analysis
- Mini Reviews
- Cell-free DNA for diagnosing myocardial infarction: not ready for prime time
- The Laboratory Medicine and the care of patients infected by the Ebola virus. Experience in a reference hospital of Madrid, Spain
- Opinion Papers
- Theranos phenomenon − part 2
- Considerations in parathyroid hormone testing
- Quantity quotient reporting. Comparison of various models
- Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics
- Assessing quality and functionality of DNA isolated from FFPE tissues through external quality assessment in tissue banks
- Influence of storage conditions and extraction methods on the quantity and quality of circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA): the SPIDIA-DNAplas External Quality Assessment experience
- Non-invasive fetal ABO genotyping in maternal plasma using real-time PCR
- Screening non-deletion α-thalassaemia mutations in the HBA1 and HBA2 genes by high-resolution melting analysis
- General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- European views on patients directly obtaining their laboratory test results
- Diagnostic performances of clinical laboratory tests using Triton X-100 to reduce the biohazard associated with routine testing of Ebola virus-infected patients
- Thrombin generation, D-dimer and protein S in uncomplicated pregnancy
- Multi-analyte analysis of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in human plasma using tandem mass spectrometry
- Second generation analysis of antinuclear antibody (ANA) by combination of screening and confirmatory testing
- Faecal leukocyte esterase activity is an alternative biomarker in inflammatory bowel disease
- Reference Values and Biological Variations
- Total folate and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate in the cerebrospinal fluid of children: correlation and reference values
- Effect of age and gender on reference intervals of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mean red cell volume (MCV)
- Infectious Diseases
- Inosine triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase activity: more accurate predictor for ribavirin-induced anemia in hepatitis C infected patients than ITPA genotype
- The ratio of calprotectin to total protein as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites
- Letter to the Editors
- Misleading high-sensitivity troponin algorithm for NSTEMI in the ESC guidelines
- Adjustment of serum potassium for age and platelet count. A simple step forward towards personalized medicine
- The impact of Tween 20 on repeatability of amyloid β and tau measurements in cerebrospinal fluid
- Effect of storage time and temperature on the generation of reactive oxygen species in peripheral blood leukocytes
- Iohexol interference in the α2-globulin fraction of the serum protein capillary electrophoresis
- A functional variant in the γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT)1 gene is associated with airflow obstruction in smokers
- Comparison of measured venous carbon dioxide and calculated arterial bicarbonates according to the PaCO2 and PaO2 cut-off values of obesity hypoventilation syndrome
- Creatinine, Jaffe, and glucose: another inconvenient truth
- Analytical evaluation of a new liquid immunoturbidimetric assay for the determination of ferritin in serum
- Analytical assessment of the novel homocysteine liquid enzymatic assay on Beckman Coulter AU5800
- Immunoglobulin IgA, IgD, IgG, IgM and IgG subclass reference values in adults
