title: DNA-synthesizing cells in the blood in coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: The level of 3H-labelled thymidine ([3H]TdR) incorporation of blood cells of patients with coeliac disease was shown in two separate studies to be significantly lower than that of a normal control group. In the first study the 'background' DNA synthesis in unstimulated cultures containing a standard number of blood lymphocytes was measured on days 4, 5 and 6. In the second study a standard volume of freshly drawn whole blood was added to culture medium and the [3H]TdR incorporation measured over the first 24 hr and from 48 to 72 hr. In all cases the [3H]TdR incorporation of cells of coeliac patients on a normal or a gluten-free diet was lower than that of the control group. It is suggested that sequestration of DNA-synthesizing cells in the mucosa of the small bowel may partly explain these results. In whole-blood cultures from patients with inflammatory bowel disease in remission [3H]TdR incorporation over the first 24 hr was raised in Crohn's disease but normal in ulcerative colitis.
mesh_terms: D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004247:DNA