Ulcerative colitis is a chronic relapsing disorder of the colon that pathologically represents inflammation and epithelial injury. Reactive oxygen species play essential roles in the pathogenesis of UC. The Fra-1 and Nrf2 are transcription factors which regulate the antioxidant enzyme and intracellular signaling in oxidative stress condition. Our aim was to assess the expression of fra-1 and Nrf2 genes in histological tissues.

20 patients with ulcerative colitis and 20 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. The colonoscopy and histological manifests were analyzed in terms of the severity and extension indexes. The fra-1 and Nrf2 gene expression in mucosal tissue were also evaluated by real time-PCR.

14 patients were considered as mild patients with score E2 and S1/S2. 6 patients were severe patients with score E3 and S3. Furthermore, the elevated level of fra-1 and Nrf2 were shown in both patient groups compared to control subjects.

The presence of oxidative stress in UC patients induces Fra-1 expression to promote subsequent antioxidant transcription factors. The Fra-1 factor is a key regulator for Nrf2 gene expression. It is suggested that Nrf2 act as a protective factor, which might be an element of research in the novel therapeutic approaches for IBD.