Crohn's disease and the enterohepatic circulation.
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory process which may affect any part of the alimentary tract. This cause is unknown. Overall the distribution of the lesions coincides with that of the enterohepatic circulation. A possible causative agent is a metabolic or ingested substance excreted into the bile in the form of a polar and inactive conjugates. The agent would have to have a prolonged half life in the enterohepatic circulation. In the ileocaecal region and elsewhere when bacterial colonisation occurs the inactive conjugates may be hydrolysed to release the active substance. This would act locally on the intestinal tissues either as a result of altering the physicochemistry of mucus or during passage through the gut wall.
D002432:Cecum / Q000503:physiopathology; D003106:Colon / Q000503:physiopathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004032:Diet; D004764:Enterohepatic Circulation; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000503:physiopathology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000503:physiopathology