Measurements of unsaturated vitamin B12-binding capacity and myeloperoxidase as indices of severity of acute inflammation in serial colonoscopy biopsy specimens from patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Measurements of tissue content of myeloperoxidase, a constituent of neutrophil azurophil granules and of unsaturated vitamin B12-binding protein from neutrophil-specific granules, have been used to assess intestinal inflammation. This paper reports results of a prospective evaluation of such measurements in serial colonoscopy biopsy specimens from patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Histologic grading of acute inflammation was based on perceived numbers of neutrophil polymorphs in sections from an immediately adjacent biopsy specimen. The mean + 2 SD range for unsaturated vitamin B12-binding protein activity in homogenates of histologically normal specimens was 62 pg mg protein-1. Values increased progressively up to 900 pg mg-1 protein in the most severely inflamed specimens. Unsaturated vitamin B12-binding protein measurements generally distinguished among histologic grades of inflammation, whereas myeloperoxidase activities failed to do this, probably because substantial myeloperoxidase activity was found in uninflamed colonic mucosa, suggesting a non-neutrophil source for this enzyme.