title: Effect of filtrate containing Clostridium difficile toxin on rectal mucosa maintained in organ culture.
abstract: Rectal biopsies were maintained in organ culture over a 24-hour culture period, with good preservation of histological architecture. A filtrate containing Clostridium difficile toxin significantly inhibited the rise in epithelial alkaline phosphatase activity normally seen during culture. This effect was abolished by pre-incubation of the filtrate with Clostridium sordellii antitoxin, or heat inactivation. This effect is most probably due to a toxin of C. difficile. The method provides a new quantitative approach to the study of luminal toxins as possible pathogenic agents in idiopathic inflammatory diseases of the colon.
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000992:Antitoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001706:Biopsy; D003013:Clostridium; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D012007:Rectum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D000992:Antitoxins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase