Humoral inhibition of neutrophil chemotaxis in Crohn's disease.

In patients with Crohn's disease (CD) we investigated the C3 conversion of zymosan-activated serum (ZAS) and looked for the occurrence of chemotactic factor inactivation (CFI). We also studied the cell-directed inhibitory effect (CDI) of the CD patients' plasma and, in the same group, complement activation and complement-mediated deactivation. The mean value of ZAS C3 conversion in CD was no different from that of healthy controls, but in steroid-treated patients it was lower than in untreated CD.

Isotypic analysis of antibody response to a food antigen in inflammatory bowel disease.

We studied the class-specific antibody response to the cow's milk antigen beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) in sera from patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. IgG and IgM to beta-LG were significantly higher in patients when compared to healthy non-atopic controls, whereas IgA values were similar, and specific IgE absent in all groups. No correlation between IgG- or IgM-containing immune complexes was found with the corresponding isotype of antibody to beta-LG; however, IgM complexes correlated with serum total IgM in ulcerative colitis.

Studies of peripheral blood lymphocytes in Crohn's disease. Circulating activated T cells.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells have been investigated in 43 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) by means of a panel of 4 monoclonal antibodies (UCHT1, UCHT4, 4F2, 5E9). A decrease of total T cells (UCHT1+) (p less than 0.01) and a slight increase of cytotoxic/suppressor T cells (UCHT4+) were observed.

In vitro studies on cellular and humoral chemotaxis in Crohn's disease using the under agarose gel technique.

The locomotor function of polymorphonuclear cells (cellular chemotaxis) and serum chemotactic activity (humoral chemotaxis) were studied in 51 patients with Crohn's disease using a method of migration under agarose gel. To study cellular chemotaxis patient's polymorphonuclear cells were challenged against normal Zymosan activated serum and humoral chemotaxis was evaluated testing the patient's Zymosan activated serum against normal polymorphonuclear cells. Cellular chemotaxis in the Crohn's disease group was normal (although 30% of the 51 patients had migration values out of the normal range), while humoral chemotaxis was significantly lower in Crohn's disease patients than in the control group.

New evidence of circulating immune complexes in Crohn's disease using two sensitive methods.

Circulating immune complexes (AgAb) were studied in 183 serum samples from 119 patients with Crohn's Disease. AgAb were studied by the solid phase C1q binding test in all sera and also by the conglutinin binding assay in 161 sera. A significantly higher prevalence of circulating AgAb was observed in Crohn's disease patients in comparison with the control population.