Serum interleukin-6 level is associated with response to infliximab in ulcerative colitis

AbstractObjectives: Infliximab is effective in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC); however, one-third of patients do not respond and require additional therapies such as other biologic agents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the association between pro-inflammatory molecules and clinical efficacy to elucidate possible mechanisms for the non-response to infliximab to aid in treatment selection.Materials and method: Patients with moderate-to-severe active UC receiving infliximab in our hospital between 2010 and 2016 for whom pre-treatment serum samples were available were retrospectively evaluated. We analyzed the association between serum interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and soluble mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (sMAdCAM-1) and the clinical efficacy of infliximab. The primary endpoint was clinical response at the end of the induction period.Results: Forty-one patients were included in this study. After induction therapy, 27 patients (65.9%) showed...