Analysis of fecal biomarkers of inflammation
inflammation
INFLAMMATION
Fecal samples were processed and analyzed using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect and quantify levels of the following biomarkers of inflammation: calprotectin, lactoferrin, and zonulin. ELISA kits for the three biomarkers were obtained from ImmunDiagnostik (Bensheim, Germany) and samples were processed and analyzed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.Analyte concentrations were obtained from a 4-parameter logistic curve fitted to appropriate standard material. In all cases, standards, controls, and samples were analyzed in duplicate. Quality controls for each assay included 2 control materials of known concentrations and expected values were achieved in all cases when compared to the manufacturer’s quality control data. Fecal biomarkers of inflammation were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and p-values of < 0.05 were considered significant.