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©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Melanocortin 3,5 receptors immunohistochemical expression in colonic mucosa of inflammatory bowel disease patients: A matter of disease activity?
Antonietta Gerarda Gravina, Iacopo Panarese, Maria Consiglia Trotta, Michele D'Amico, Raffaele Pellegrino, Franca Ferraraccio, Marilena Galdiero, Roberto Alfano, Paolo Grieco, Alessandro Federico
Antonietta Gerarda Gravina, Raffaele Pellegrino, Alessandro Federico, Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples 80138, Italy
Iacopo Panarese, Franca Ferraraccio, Pathology Division, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples 80138, Italy
Maria Consiglia Trotta, Michele D'Amico, Marilena Galdiero, Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples 80138, Italy
Roberto Alfano, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples 80138, Italy
Paolo Grieco, Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80131, Italy
Author contributions: Gravina AG, Panarese I, and Trotta MC were responsible for literature collection, initial manuscript writing, conceptualization of tables and figures, and made equal contributions to this work; the analysis was conducted by Gravina AG, Panarese I, Trotta MC, Panarese I, and Pellegrino R; all authors contributed to the conceptualization of the text's structure, critically reviewed the manuscript for significant intellectual content, and read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (Protocol code 795 on December 23, 2019).
Clinical trial registration statement: This study has been assigned the protocol code “AOU 26599/19” in the Luigi Vanvitelli University Hospital's records.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Raffaele Pellegrino, MD, Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via L. de Crecchio, Naples 80138, Italy. raffaele.pellegrino@unicampania.it
Received: December 21, 2023
Peer-review started: December 21, 2023
First decision: January 13, 2024
Revised: January 15, 2024
Accepted: February 8, 2024
Article in press: February 8, 2024
Published online: March 7, 2024
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), present complex etiologies. The modulation of the melanocortin system, involved in inflammatory pathways, offers therapeutic potential.
Research motivation
Understanding the immunohistochemical expression of melanocortin 3 and 5 receptors (MC3R and MC5R) in colonic mucosa of IBD patients is crucial for unraveling potential immunomodulatory roles.
Research objectives
To assess immunohistochemical expression patterns of MC3R and MC5R in colons of IBD patients, exploring associations with disease activity.
Research methods
A study involving treatment naïve IBD patients was conducted. Biopsies were taken from inflamed and normal mucosa, and immunohistochemical staining for MC3R and MC5R was performed.
Research results
Both MC3R and MC5R exhibited significant positivity in inflamed mucosa compared to normal mucosa, suggesting a potential correlation with disease activity. The expression pattern was distinct in CD and UC samples.
Research conclusions
The study proposes a unique expression profile of MC3R and MC5R in IBD, indicating potential links to disease activity. However, limitations include a small sample size and a lack of correlation analyses with endoscopic disease activity.
Research perspectives
Future investigations with larger cohorts and mechanistic analyses, such as polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, are necessary for a comprehensive understanding. The observed expression patterns suggest potential avenues for developing specific MC3R and MC5R ligands as therapeutic agents for IBD, warranting exploration in preclinical and clinical settings.
