Point-of-Care Monitoring of Colitis Using Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase (IAP) was investigated as a potential biomarker to monitor colitis in a mouse model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). We developed a Point-Of-Care (POC) assay to detect IAP with a glucose meter in 15 min. We synthesized a paracetamol-bearing compound specifically cleaved by IAP to release paracetamol, which can be detected with a personal glucometer. Interleukin 10 deficient (IL 10–/−) mouse model samples were used to compare the IAP level in mice with mild or severe colitis. The results showed that fecal IAP level was significantly lower in each mouse sample with severe colitis than with mild colitis. Mice treated with anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (anti-TNF-α) to decrease inflammation exhibited a much higher level of IAP than those without treatment (IAP levels from anti-TNF-α treated vs nontreated = 2.80 U vs 0.11 U, P < 0.0001). Taken together, IAP can be considered as a potential biomarker to monitor colitis, and a rapid, user-friendly POC glucometer-based assay can be potentially used to monitor colitis levels and inflammation flareups in IBD.