title: The demonstration of pericryptal fibroblasts in background mucosa and dysplasia complicating ulcerative colitis.
abstract: The demonstration of pericryptal fibroblasts in background mucosa and dysplasia in ulcerative colitis was investigated by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody for alpha-smooth muscle actin. Pericryptal fibroblasts were reduced in 18 (26%) of the 68 sections of non-dysplastic mucosa. The reduction was significantly correlated with goblet cell depletion and villous change. Pericryptal fibroblasts were more frequently reduced (50%) in dysplastic mucosa, the reduction being greater in villous than in non-villous dysplasia. Pericryptal fibroblast development was not related to grade of dysplasia (low or high-grade), distance from carcinoma (adjacent to or distant from carcinoma) or growth pattern (polypoid or non-polypoid). These findings suggest that: 1 reduction of pericryptal fibroblasts in background mucosa may relate to the development of dysplasia in ulcerative colitis, 2 reduction of pericryptal fibroblasts in villous regeneration, analogous to that in dysplasia, reinforces the hypothesis that villous change may be a marker for risk of development of carcinoma in ulcerative colitis.
authors.affiliation: St Mark's Hospital, Harrow, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Talbot
mesh_terms: D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000473:pathology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology