M. de Bruyn

Membranes based on poly(γ-methyl-l-glutamate): synthesis, characterization and use in chiral separations

A facile ‘one-pot’ synthesis for poly(γ-methyl-l-glutamate) (PMLG) membranes is reported. Despite having an α-helical secondary structure, as demonstrated via IR, these membranes did not show enantioselective behavior in pressure driven permeation of Trp. Therefore, the transesterification of PMLG with Igepal and Brij® 30 is introduced in a next step and the resulting polymers are characterized by means of IR and NMR. Supported membranes made from these materials show permselectivity towards d-Trp under a pressure gradient, but the enantiomeric excess of the permeate phase declines as a function of time. In order to realize a constant enantioselectivity, electrodialysis is demonstrated to be a suitable membrane process. Moreover, the obtained permeation rates of Ac-Trp are among the best ever reported for solid enantioselective membranes and approximate those realized with liquid membranes.

P095 The genetic risk in ER stress and autophagy translates into quantifiable epithelial ER stress levels in IBD patients.

[Vanhove, W.; Nys, K.; Arijs, I.; de Bruyn, M.; Korf, H.; Ferrante, M.; Van Assche, G.; Vermeire, S.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Translat Res Gastrointestinal Disorders TARGID, Dept Clin & Expt Med, Leuven, Belgium. [Arijs, I.] Hasselt Univ, Fac Med & Life Sci, Hasselt, Belgium. [Cleynen, I.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Lab Complex Genet, Dept Human Genet, Leuven, Belgium. [de Bruyn, M.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Immunobiol Lab, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Rega Inst Med Res, Leuven, Belgium. [Korf, H.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Hepatol, Dept Clin & Expt Med, Leuven, Belgium. [Ferrante, M.; Van Assche, G.; Vermeire, S.] Univ Hosp Leuven, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol, Leuven, Belgium.

TNF-driven pathways are increased at baseline in Crohn’s disease patients not responding to infliximab

[Verstockt, B.; Arijs, I.; de Bruyn, M.; Van Assche, G.; Vermeire, S.; Ferrante, M.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Dept Clin & Expt Med, TARGID IBD, Leuven, Belgium. [Verstockt, B.] Univ Cambridge, Sch Clin Med, Dept Med, Biomed Campus, Cambridge, England. [Verstockt, B.] Cambridge Inst Med Res, Cambridge, England. [Arijs, I.] Hasselt Univ, Fac Med & Life Sci, Hasselt, Belgium. [Arijs, I.] Jessa Hosp, Hasselt, Belgium. [de Bruyn, M.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Rega Inst Med Res, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Leuven, Belgium. [Verstockt, S.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Lab Complex Genet, Dept Human Genet, Leuven, Belgium. [Van Assche, G.; Vermeire, S.; Ferrante, M.] Univ Hosp Leuven, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol, Leuven, Belgium. [Breynaert, C.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Clin Immunol Lab, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Leuven, Belgium.

P144 Serum neutrophil gelatinase B-associated lipocalin–matrix metalloproteinase-9 (NGAL-MMP-9) complex as a surrogate marker for mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis

Background: Epithelial barrier dysfunction and impaired mucosal healing have been reported as key factors in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Syndecan-1 is a multifunctional extracellular matrix proteoglycan, which mediates basic fibroblast growth factor activity and plays a central role in tissue repair and in maintaining the normal intestinal epithelial barrier. Shedding of syndecan-1 ectodomain from the intestinal epithelium is highly regulated by inflammation. The objective of this pilot study is to determine, for the first time, the concentration of serum soluble syndecan-1 in IBD patients compared to healthy controls. Methods:Aprospective study was performed from January 2012 to October 2012 in our center. A total of 41 patients with IBD [18 ulcerative colitis (UC), 23 Crohn’s disease (CD)] and 16 age and sex matched healthy controls were enrolled. Patients were divided into 3 different groups: active disease on treatment, active disease untreated and inactive disease on treatment. Disease activity was assessed by the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI), partial Mayo score and C-reactive protein (CRP). Serum concentrations of soluble syndecan-1 were analyzed by ELISA. Results: IBD patients had significantly higher serum syndecan-1 levels than controls (29.5±13.5 ng/mL vs. 21.2±10.4 ng/mL; p = 0.03). The highest levels of syndecan-1 were found in the active-untreated group (p = 0.006) compared to control. The active-treated group had significantly lower syndecan-1 levels than the active-untreated group (26.8±7.9 ng/mL vs. 38.5±19.4 ng/ml; p = 0.017). No difference in syndecan-1 levels was found between the non active-treated group in comparison to control (26.1±14.7 ng/mL vs. 21.2±10.4 ng/mL; p = 0.34). Conclusions: Our data show that serum syndecan-1 levels are increased in patients with IBD as compare to healthy controls. The markedly increased syndecan-1 in active-untreated IBD patients may provide an additional tool in assessing disease activity especially in naive patients. Moreover, these preliminary data suggest that serum syndecan-1 levels are affected by drug treatment. Further investigation of this molecule and its applicability as a biomarker in IBD is warranted. *The first two authors contributed equally to this study.