Polymorphonuclear leukocyte function in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

The aim of this study was to determine whether polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis, adhesion, and electrophoretic mobility were altered in inflammatory bowel disease and whether such alterations could be related to prior ingestion of immune complexes. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes from patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease showed significantly impaired stimulated migration (P less than 0.05), increased adhesiveness (P less than 0.01 in ulcerative colitis, P less than 0.001 in Crohn's disease), and reduced electrophoretic mobility (P less than 0.02 in ulcerative colitis, P less than 0.001 in Crohn's disease) compared with healthy controls. The disease control of patients with rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated reduced stimulated migration (P less than 0.025) but normal adhesion. Preincubating normal cells in inflammatory bowel disease sera suggested that the altered migration and adhesion were due to circulating serum factors. Circulating immune complexes, detected by the C1q PEG binding assay, were present in 12.5% of patients with ulcerative colitis and 30% with Crohn's disease. Direct immunofluorescence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes suggested binding and/or ingestion of complexes in 57% of patients with ulcerative colitis, and 67% with Crohn's disease. There was a direct correlation between positive immunofluorescence and impaired cell migration in ulcerative colitis (P less than 0.05), but no such relationship was found in the other parameters of polymorph function.