Inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are chronic diseases associated with gut dysbiosis and systemic inflammation. MASLD is common in ulcerative colitis (UC) with prevalence rates ranging from 1.5% to 55%. However, the influences of each disease were poorly explored. The profiling of immune cells could be helpful for identifying the association of chronic inflammatory diseases. We compared immune marker expression of colonic tissues between UC patients according to presence or absence of MASLD.

We enrolled patients who underwent colonoscopic biopsies on active inflammation and CT scan to differentiate steatotic liver at the time of UC diagnosis. We included 24 UC patients, 12 with MASDL and 12 without. The expression levels of CD8, CD68, CD163, Foxp3, and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) cells were evaluated by quantitative multispectral imaging.

We enrolled patients who underwent colonoscopic biopsies on active inflammation and CT scan to differentiate steatotic liver at the time of UC diagnosis. We included 24 UC patients, 12 with MASDL and 12 without. The expression levels of CD8, CD68, CD163, Foxp3, and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) cells were evaluated by quantitative multispectral imaging.

The immune cells including M1 macrophages and exhausted T cells showed different expressions depending on the presence of MASLD in UC patients. Immune profiling might be helpful for predicting diagnosis and prognosis in UC patients with comorbidity of MASLD.