Trefoil factor-3 is not a useful marker of mucosal healing in Crohn's disease treated with anti-TNF-α antibodies

AIM To evaluate whether repeated serum measurements of trefoil factor-3(TFF-3)can reliably reflect mucosal healing(MH)in Crohn’s disease(CD)patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor-α(anti-TNF-α)antibodies.METHODS Serum TFF-3 was measured before and after antiTNF-αinduction therapy in 30 CD patients.The results were related to clinical,biochemical and endoscopic parameters.MH was defined as a≥50%decrease in Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s disease(SES-CD).RESULTS SES-CD correlated significantly with CD clinical activity and several standard biochemical parameters(albumin,leukocyte and platelet counts,C-reactive protein,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,fibrinogen).In contrast,SES-CD did not correlate with TFF-3(P=0.54).Moreover,TFF-3 levels did not change significantly after therapy irrespectively of whether the patients achieved MH or not.Likewise,TFF-3 did not correlate with changes in fecal calprotectin,which has been proposed as another biochemical marker of mucosal damage in CD.CONCLUSION Serum TFF-3 is not a convenient and reliable surrogate marker of MH during therapy with TNF-αantagonists in CD.