Immunological Aspects of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Flow cytometry description of a novel CD3?/CD7+ intraepithelial lymphocyte subset in human duodenal biopsies: Potential diagnostic value in coeliac disease

“…There is little evidence in the literature for human IEL expression of NK lineage markers, except perhaps on certain TCR␥␦ (7,8,26) and TCR␣␤ (26). In favor of a NK lineage hypothesis, we have to underline the expression of the NK cell markers CD56 (44.7 Ϯ 21.3%) and CD16 (12.6 Ϯ 4.6%) on a significant percentage of the CD3Ϫ IEL subset.…”

“…On 11 patients, biopsy was performed to exclude CD in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms; the final diagnosis was giardiasis (2), Ig A deficiency (1), nonspecific chronic diarrhea (4) and vomits and/or anorexia (4). Another 9 patients were referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy because with poliposis coli (1) and epigastric pain (8); the final diagnosis was Helicobacter Pylori-associated gastritis (5) and nonulcer dispepsy (3). All small bowel biopsies in this group were normal in the histological study.…”

Selective expansion of specific T cell receptors in the inflamed colon of Crohn's disease.

“…Despite this lack of basic knowledge regarding the initiating event in CD, there is reason to believe that immunological mechanisms may explain the chronicity and relapse of CD (10,11). CD is frequently accompanied by alterations in the humoral and/or cellular immune system (12,13), and there is an increasing amount of evidence that at least part of the inflammation in CD is T cell mediated. The increased number of T cells expressing the activation markers 4F2, transferrin receptor, and IL-2 receptor in the intestinal lesions of CD suggests that T cells are responding to antigenic stimulation and contribute to the local inflammatory process (14)(15)(16)(17)(18).…”

Interleukin 16 expression and phenotype of interleukin 16 producing cells in Crohn's disease

“…The focal lymphocytic aggregates frequently demonstrate a perivascular distribution, predominantly around small submucosal vessels. These infiltrates consist mainly of naive CD4+ lymphocytes4 5expressing the activation markers CD25 and HLA-DR admixed with scattered freshly migrated monocytes and/or macrophages 36…”