Tehran University of Medical Sciences Acta Biochimica Iranica 0001-5261 2 3 2024 09 25 162 169 Golnaz Goodarzi Department of Pathobiology and Laboratory Sciences, School of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran Sadra Samavarchi Tehrani Endocrine Research Center, Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran Saeed Ebrahimi Fana Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Nafiseh Saleknezhad Digestive Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ghodratollah Panahi Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Maryam Rayatpisheh Digestive Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Amir Anushiravani Digestive Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2025 05 23 Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a recurrent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that increases at an alarming rate around the world. The microRNA-29 (miRNA-29) family has been implicated in the pathogenesis of UC. In recent year, the alteration of Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP4) levels in IBD patients has been reported. In the present study, we evaluated the relationship between miRNA-29a expression of intestinal tissue and serum DPP4 level in UC patients and healthy subjects. Methods: Blood samples and colonic punch biopsy were obtained from 35 UC, and 29 healthy subjects. Serum levels of DPP-4 were evaluated by ELISA technique. The expression levels of miRNA-29 were assessed by qRT-PCR. Also, biochemical parameters and demographic information were collected based on patient tests and questionnaire. Results: The results of this study showed a significant increase of miRNA-29a in intestinal tissue of UC patients compared to control. In addition, elevated expression of miRNA-29a was accompanied by a decrease in serum levels of DPP4, but there was no significant difference between moderate and severe conditions. Furthermore, the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and platelet were higher in UC patients relative to those without UC. Conclusions: These findings supported the role of the miRNA-29a-DPP4 axis in the pathogenesis of UC and provide the evidence for the further evaluation of this axis as biomarkers of the disease. https://abi.tums.ac.ir/index.php/abi/article/view/122 https://abi.tums.ac.ir/index.php/abi/article/download/122/70