Todorovic V, Janic B, Koko V, Micev M, Nikolic J A, Ratkovic M, Leposavic G, Jankovic T, Knezevic-Usaj S, Milicevic Z
Institute for Medical Research, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Hepatogastroenterology. 1996 May-Jun;43(9):483-8.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: In this study, we present radioimmunoassay data describing the concentration of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP) in both plasma and colonic biopsies, as well as immunostaining of VIPergic innervation in mucosal biopsies of normal subjects and patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).
Thirty three patients with UC and 17 healthy subjects were investigated. All UC patients suffered from active disease. Fasting circulating levels of VIP in plasma as well as tissue concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. For the immunohistochemistry, polyclonal antibody against VIP and the streptavidin-biotin peroxidase complex technique were carried out.
Overall plasma VIP concentrations in the UC patients were similar to those in the controls. Significantly decreased concentrations of VIP were found in UC of rectum compared to the normal tissue. However, both plasma VIP values and tissue concentrations were found to be significantly lower in patients expressing minimal or mild active disease according to clinical activity index (AI) and histological activity index (HAI), but marked increase of plasma VIP was clear in UC patients with moderate or severe AI and HAI. There was a trend towards increased tissue concentrations of VIP in the group of patients with moderate or severe AI and HAI. Our immunohistochemical analysis of VIP fibers and nerve cell bodies revealed consistently weaker VIP-immunoreactivity in the rectum in UC patients with minimal or mild HAI. Simultaneously, in the rectal biopsies from UC patients with moderate and severe disease, the fibers in the lamina propria and ganglion cells in the submucous plexus were markedly increased in density and in degree of immunostaining. Very strong immunoreactivity was also found in inflammatory cells of the lamina propria as well as in the epithelial layer of the biopsies from UC patients with obvious disease.
Our study shows clearly the heterogeneity in the response of VIP plasma level as well as rectum concentration and distribution in UC patients at different stages of the active disease. The possible role of VIP in the colon suggests that further studies of the alterations of this gut peptide may be useful in the understanding of UC pathophysiology.
背景/目的：在本研究中，我们展示了放射免疫分析数据，这些数据描述了血管活性肠肽（VIP）在血浆和结肠活检组织中的浓度，以及正常受试者和溃疡性结肠炎（UC）患者黏膜活检组织中VIP能神经支配的免疫染色情况。
对33例UC患者和17例健康受试者进行了研究。所有UC患者均患有活动性疾病。通过放射免疫分析测定血浆中VIP的空腹循环水平以及组织浓度。对于免疫组织化学，采用了抗VIP多克隆抗体和链霉亲和素-生物素过氧化物酶复合物技术。
UC患者的总体血浆VIP浓度与对照组相似。与正常组织相比，直肠UC中VIP浓度显著降低。然而，根据临床活动指数（AI）和组织学活动指数（HAI），表达最小或轻度活动性疾病的患者血浆VIP值和组织浓度均显著较低，但AI和HAI为中度或重度的UC患者血浆VIP明显升高。AI和HAI为中度或重度的患者组中，VIP组织浓度有升高趋势。我们对VIP纤维和神经细胞体的免疫组织化学分析显示，HAI最小或轻度的UC患者直肠中VIP免疫反应性始终较弱。同时，在中度和重度疾病的UC患者直肠活检组织中，固有层纤维和黏膜下丛神经节细胞的密度和免疫染色程度均明显增加。在明显疾病的UC患者活检组织的固有层炎症细胞以及上皮层中也发现了非常强的免疫反应性。
我们的研究清楚地表明，在活动性疾病的不同阶段，UC患者VIP血浆水平以及直肠浓度和分布的反应存在异质性。VIP在结肠中的可能作用表明，进一步研究这种肠道肽的变化可能有助于理解UC的病理生理学。
