Effect of a soluble bacterial carbohydrate fraction on the viscosity of intestinal contents in healthy subjects and patients with Crohn's disease

Abstract

Abstract. Supernatants of faecal suspensions from patients with Crohn's disease (CD) showed much lower viscosity than those from healthy subjects. Material responsible for the viscosity could be precipitated with ethanol. Gel filtration indicated that the viscosity was not due to the glycoprotein fraction but to a fraction with higher molecular weight and relatively high contents of muramic acid suggesting a bacterial origin. The concentration and viscosity of this fraction are less in faeces from patients with CD than in that of healthy subjects.

Bacterial peptidoglycan and immune reactivity in the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis

“…Antibodies used are shown in Table 2. To detect specific antibody forming cells, peptidoglycan-polysaccharide isolated from human faeces (Hazenberg et al, 1989) was labelled with biotin (Laman et al, 1990;Claassen et al, 1992). Sections from reactive human tonsils were included on each individual object slide to provide internal positive control tissue.…”

Serum Antibodies to Peptidoglycan-Polysaccharide Complexes from the Anaerobic Intestinal Flora in Patients with Crohn’s Disease

“…Re cently, we described the presence of soluble PPC in the feces of HS and the relatively low concentration and reduced viscosity of this fraction in fecal samples of CD patients [1], In this study we showed the existence of anti gens of a large group of gram-positive anaer obic bacteria on PPC, indicating that PPC originates from the endogenous flora. The strains belong to the genera of Eubacterium, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, Peptostreplococcus, Lactobacillus and Propionibacterium representing more than 50% of the total intestinal flora according to Moore and Holdeman [22] and Benno et al [23].…”

“…The con centration of the PPC fraction in the feces of patients with CD was lower compared with that of HS [1], Other studies from our labo ratory showed that sera from patients with CD agglutinated strains of Coprococcus comes, Peptostreptococcus productus and Eubacterium contortum, present in the intesti nal anaerobic flora, more often and strongly than sera from patients with ulcerative coli tis, other diseases, and HS. The agglutina tion reactions are used as a diagnostic test for CD [2][3][4],…”

“…They can be present in numbers exceeding 1010 bacteria/g feces. Since 4 mg PPC/g feces (wet weight) were found [ 1 ], it could be calculated that the intestinal anaerobic flora produces up to 600 mg soluble cell wall-derived bacte rial antigens daily. As we found IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies to PPC, it is obvious that the immune apparatus of the body is in close contact with this material.…”

“…From 150 to 220 ml eluate a carbo hydrate fraction was recovered. Carbohydrates, pro tein, muramic acid and rhamnose were determined by standard methods [ 1 ] and 2-keto-3-deoxy-octonate according to Karkhanis ct al. [5].…”