Gene and microRNA Expression Profiling in Experimental Colitis and Human Ulcerative Colitis: Effects of STAT6 Knockout and Corylus avellana Treatment

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic immune-mediated disorders of the gastrointestinal tract resulting from a complex interplay between genetic susceptibility and dysregulated immune responses. To improve the understanding of the molecular mechanisms’ underlying disease pathogenesis, mouse models with experimental colitis and patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) were investigated for the expression of genes and small non-coding RNAs involved in key pathogenic pathways. In experimental colitis, the potential modulatory effects of STAT6 knockout and Corylus avellana treatment were also evaluated. Our findings revealed significant transcriptional alterations in molecular markers associated with inflammation, epithelial barrier integrity, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum stress, highlighting their association with the development and persistence of chronic intestinal inflammation. Both STAT6 deletion and Corylus avellana extract treatment modulated several of these alterations, with STAT6 knockout showing a more pronounced effect on the molecular profile associated with experimental colitis. In addition, miRNA expression profiling revealed a panel of dysregulated miRNAs, while bioinformatic analysis identified potential miRNA-gene regulatory interactions, supporting their possible involvement in the post-transcriptional regulation of these biological processes. Overall, the combined analysis of gene and miRNA expression profiles highlights molecular alterations associated with experimental colitis and human UC and suggests potential regulatory interactions that require further experimental validation.