Fig. 7.

Graphic summary of the study design and main findings. Intestinal MLI aspirate samples were collected from three different intestinal regions from pediatric IBD patients or controls; the microbiomes and EVs were isolated and characterized using techniques including metaproteomics/proteomics approach. The differentially abundant human/microbial proteins, functions, pathways and microbial taxa were identified using multivariate statistical approaches. The intestinal MLI of IBD patients features an increased relative abundance of human proteins, in particular those EV-associated defense proteins, such as MPO and BPI, and a concomitant microbial dysbiosis at both functional and taxonomic levels