Korean J Intern Med.  1997 Jan;12(1):7-15.

Differences in immunophenotyping of mucosal lymphocytes between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease

• Lee HB
• Kim JH
• Yim CY
• Kim DG
• Ahn DS

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Immunologic studies have characterized the numbers and types of inflammatory cells in diseased inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mucosa but have yielded conflicting results regarding intestinal lymphocytes activation in IBD. We investigated the levels of lymphocytes subsets, interleukin-2 receptor, transferrin receptor, and T cell receptors in mainly isolated lamina propria lymphocytes. Including intraepithelial lymphocytes of normal colonic mucosa or IBD (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) mucosa to understand the pathogenesis of IBD. We have results from this study. RESULTS: 1) In comparing ulcerative colitis with control, IL-2R (p < 0.05), TR (p < 0.01), and CD3/HLA-DR (<0.05) showed a significant increase. 2) In comparing Crohn's disease with control, CD3 (P < 0.05), TCR alpha/beta (p < 0.01) and TCR gamma/delta (p < 0.05) showed a significant decrease. 3) In comparing Crohn's disease with ulcerative colitis, CD19 (p < 0.01), TR (p < 0.01), TCR alpha/beta (p < 0.01) and TCR gamma/delta (p < 0.05) showed a significant decrease. CONCLUSION: From these results, there are increased T cell markers, IL-2R, TR, and CD3/HLA-DR in UC, but differently, decreased CD3, TCR alpha/beta and TCR gamma/delta in CD compared with control. In addition, definitive differences in lymphocytes markers, CD19, TR, TCR alpha/beta and TCR gamma/delta, which are higher in UC than in CD, may elucidate the different immunopathogenesis between UC and CD.

MeSH Terms

Adult
Antigens, CD3/analysis
Colitis, Ulcerative/pathology
Colitis, Ulcerative/immunology
Colitis, Ulcerative/diagnosis*
Comparative Study
Crohn Disease/pathology
Crohn Disease/immunology
Crohn Disease/diagnosis*
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
HLA-DR Antigens/analysis
Human
Immunophenotyping*
Intestinal Mucosa/pathology
Intestinal Mucosa/immunology*
Male
Middle Age
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/analysis
Receptors, Interleukin-2/analysis
Receptors, Transferrin/analysis
Sensitivity and Specificity
Tissue Culture