title: [Non-surgical therapy for ulcerative colitis].
abstract: Ulcerative colitis involving primarily the mucosa of the colon and rectum is a diffuse and nonspecific inflammatory disease. Immunocompetent cells infiltrating in the inflammed mucosa are mainly lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils. These activated cells produce proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF alpha and inflammatory activators such as PAF, leukotriene, prostaglandins, free radicals and proteases, resulting in acute on chronic states. Non-surgical therapy for ulcerative colitis includes basic medical therapy with sulfasulphapyridine, 5-ASA, corticosteroids and immune suppressive drugs as well as new therapies, which are leukocytapheresis, granulocytapheresis, anticytokine therapy with antiTNF alpha monoclonal antibody, IL-1ra and IL-10, intravenous treatment of massive immunoglobulins and transdermal nicotine therapy.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Niigata University, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asakura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honma
mesh_terms: D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007937:Leukapheresis; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents