Analysis of interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 and their association with the lymphocytic infiltrate in the small intestine of patients with coeliac disease.

Background: Concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines are raised in the small intestine of patients with coeliac disease after ingestion of gluten but there are equivalent data on interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) producing cells. These cytokines are known to exert important regulatory effects on pro-inflammatory cytokine production from lymphocytes and macrophages.

Aims: To investigate whether there is a primary deficiency of IL-4 and IL-10 producing cells and their site of production in the small intestine of patients with coeliac disease in relation to the changes in inflammatory cell infiltrate.

Leucocyte typing, cytokine expression, and epithelial turnover in the ileal pouch in patients with ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis.

Background/aims: Conventional histopathology, leucocyte typing, cytokine mRNA expression, and crypt cell turnover were compared in ileal pouch biopsy specimens from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).

Methods: Biopsy specimens were taken from 17 patients with UC and seven with FAP at a median interval of 19 months (range 2-120) after ileostomy closure. All contained both epithelium and lamina propria.

Cytokine mRNA expression in the mucosa of treated coeliac patients after wheat peptide challenge.

This study investigated the presence of mRNA coding for interferon gamma (IFN gamma), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), and interleukins 2 (IL2) and 6 (IL6), in the mucosa of four coeliac patients in remission who had been challenged with either gliadin or synthetic gliadin oligopeptides. Jejunal biopsy specimens from these patients, taken before and at two, four, and six hours after challenge, were hybridised with specific 35S-labelled DNA oligonucleotide probes. The lamina propria of all the patients contained significantly increased numbers of cytokine mRNA expressing cells four hours after challenge with gliadin or an oligopeptide corresponding to amino acids 31-49 of A-gliadin (peptide A).

Expression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-2 mRNA in the jejunum of patients with coeliac disease.

Background: A T-cell-mediated immune response may be responsible for the enteropathy seen in coeliac disease (CD), but it is unclear whether this is initiated in the epithelium or the lamina propria. We studied the site and number of cells expressing mRNA encoding the cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha in jejunal biopsy specimens from patients with untreated or treated CD and normal controls.

Methods: Tissue sections were hybridized with 35S-labelled DNA oligonucleotide probes specific for each cytokine RNA sequence.

Raised pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha in coeliac disease mucosa detected by immunohistochemistry.

The levels of two pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), in coeliac disease were studied by immunohistochemistry. Jejunal biopsy specimens from patients with untreated disease, (n = 11), treated disease (n = 9), and normal controls, (n = 11) were stained to detect IL-6, TNF-alpha, CD45 (pan-leukocyte), and CD68 (macrophage surface antigen). Positive cells were identified in the epithelium (per 100 enterocytes) and in the lamina propria (per unit area).