Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein in colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis.
OBJECTIVE
Increased mucosal concentration of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) has been shown in inflammatory bowel diseases. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the mucosal concentration of BPI and the grade of mucosal inflammation in ulcerative colitis.


METHODS
Samples of colonic mucosa from 12 patients with ulcerative colitis and from 8 control patients were studied. The concentration of BPI in tissue extracts was measured by a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. The concentration of BPI was compared between samples with histological inflammatory changes of different severity. BPI was localized in tissue sections by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The concentration of BPI was higher (p < 0.001) in samples of colonic mucosa from patients with ulcerative colitis (median: 3.2 micrograms/g, range: 0.3-22.6 micrograms/g) than in control samples (0.4 microgram/g, 0.1-0.6 microgram/g,). Moreover, the concentration of BPI was higher (p = 0.015) in samples with severe inflammation (2.5 mu/g, 0.3-22.6 micrograms/g) than in those with mild inflammation (0.5 mu/g, 0.3-2.5 micrograms/g). The concentration of BPI in mucosal samples correlated well with the degree of histological inflammation (Spearman R = 0.70, p = 0.01). BPI was localized in polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the mucosa and stroma of the colonic wall.


CONCLUSIONS
The concentration of BPI is increased in the colonic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. The increase in the concentration of BPI in colonic mucosa seems to be closely associated with the inflammatory activity of ulcerative colitis.
Haapamäki
M M
MM
Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Finland. markku.haapamaki@utu.fi
Häggblom
J O
JO
Grönroos
J M
JM
Pekkala
E
E
Alanen
K
K
Nevalainen
T J
TJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015200:Fluoroimmunoassay; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001798:Blood Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C021623:bactericidal permeability increasing protein