Effect of IBD sera on expression of inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Aim: To study the expression of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthases (eNOS and iNOS) and their role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: We examined the effect of sera obtained from patients with active Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) on the function and viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). HUVECs were cultured for 0-48 h in the presence of a medium containing pooled serum of healthy controls, or serum from patients with active CD or UC.

Changes in the expression and distribution of the inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in mucosal biopsy specimens of inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: The role of nitric oxide (NO) in the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and localization of nitric oxide synthase isoforms (iNOS, eNOS) in IBD colonic mucosa.

Material And Methods: Forty-four patients with IBD (24 ulcerative colitis (UC), 20 Crohn's disease (CD) and 16 controls) were investigated by colonoscopy.