Quantitative analysis and immunohistochemical studies on small intestinal mucosa of food-sensitive enteropathy.
Quantitative analysis and immunohistochemical studies of small intestinal mucosa were performed to investigate the mechanism of mucosal damage in 10 patients with food-sensitive enteropathy. Jejunal biopsy specimens were taken before and after treatment and after clinical relapse following a challenge test. The low villous height of untreated patients normalized after introduction of an elimination diet but declined again to subnormal level after a challenge test. Several other types of cells were significantly increased in the untreated patients in comparison to controls. These included HLA-DR+ (DR+) CD4+ cells in the lamina propria and intraepithelial CD8+ cells. Moreover, those cell patterns, such as increased DR+ CD4+ cells and CD8+ cells, normalized with treatment but regressed to pretreatment levels when the patients were challenged. These findings suggest that activated CD4+ cells in the lamina propria of the small intestinal mucosa, probably by releasing cytokines, may play an important role in contributing to mucosal damage in patients with food-sensitive enteropathy.
Nagata
S
S
Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Yamashiro
Y
Y
Ohtsuka
Y
Y
Shioya
T
T
Oguchi
S
S
Shimizu
T
T
Maeda
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007223:Infant; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk / Q000276:immunology; D014674:Plant Proteins, Dietary / Q000276:immunology; D030262:Soybean Proteins; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
D000941:Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D004527:Egg Proteins; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D014674:Plant Proteins, Dietary; D030262:Soybean Proteins