Cytokine mucosal expression in ulcerative colitis, the relationship between cytokine release and disease activity

• Published in: Journal of Crohn's and colitis 2013-07, Vol.7 (6), p.481-489
• Main Authors: Pearl, Daniel S., Shah, Krina, Whittaker, Mark A., Nitch-Smith, Harriet, Brown, James F., Shute, Janis K., Trebble, Timothy M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Biopsy; Case-Control Studies; Colitis; Colitis, Ulcerative - drug therapy; Colitis, Ulcerative - metabolism; Cytokines - metabolism; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Glucocorticoids - therapeutic use; Humans; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-8; Intestinal Mucosa - metabolism; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Transforming growth factor beta; Tumour necrosis factor-alpha; Ulcerative
• ISSN: 1873-9946; 1876-4479
• DOI: 10.1016/j.crohns.2012.07.022

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease with conflicting evidence from studies on the roles of TNFα, IL-8, TGFβ and other cytokines and characterised by neutrophil infiltration and tissue destruction. To compare cytokine profiles of inflamed and non-inflamed mucosa in patients with distal UC, and matched controls. Patients were prospectively recruited, mucosal biopsies at flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) were taken from UC patients within macroscopically inflamed and non-inflamed proximal mucosa, and from age–sex matched controls undergoing FS. Endoscopic and histological inflammation was graded. Quantitative cytokine analysis for IL-4, TNFα, IL-17A, IL-8, IL-10, TGFβ and IFNγ was carried out on tissue homogenates. Statistical comparison was by Wilcoxon signed rank pair analysis, Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman's correlation. 69 active UC patients (54 paired non-inflamed/inflamed mucosa) and 69 controls were compared. In inflamed mucosa, elevation in IL-8 and reduction in TGFβ was measured compared with non-inflamed mucosa (p