Polymeric formula has direct anti-inflammatory effects on enterocytes in an in vitro model of intestinal inflammation.

Exclusive enteral nutrition using polymeric formula (PF) is a well-established therapeutic option for active Crohn's disease; however, its mechanisms of action are unknown. We investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of PF in an in vitro model of epithelial cell inflammation. PF did not affect cell viability over a range of dilutions, but when PF was added to the culture medium the interleukin (IL)-8 response to proinflammatory stimuli was significantly reduced.

Fecal S100A12: a novel noninvasive marker in children with Crohn's disease.

Background: The calcium-binding protein S100A12 is related to calprotectin, a protein shown to be a useful marker of gut inflammation. S100A12 levels are elevated in serum and mucosa of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may be implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD. The aims of this study were to validate an immunoassay for the detection of fecal S100A12, to assess its value as a new noninvasive marker of gut inflammation, and to investigate S100A12 levels in feces of children with IBD at diagnosis and during treatment.

Complex regulation of the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase promoter by GATA-4.

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH), a marker of intestinal differentiation, is expressed in absorptive enterocytes on small intestinal villi in a tightly regulated pattern along the proximal-distal axis. The LPH promoter contains binding sites that mediate activation by members of the GATA-4, -5, and -6 subfamily, but little is known about their individual contribution to LPH regulation in vivo. Here, we show that GATA-4 is the principal GATA factor from adult mouse intestinal epithelial cells that binds to the mouse LPH promoter, and its expression is highly correlated with that of LPH mRNA in jejunum and ileum.