Serum Fatty Acids Are Correlated With Tissue Cytokine Levels in Ulcerative Colitis

right colon, were immediately placed into cryotubes, frozen in liquid N 2 and stored at -80°C until used for cytokine determination.The concentration of intestine mucosa cytokines involved in the Th1 (IL-2, IL-12p70, IFN-γ), Th2 (IL-4), Th17 (IL-6, IL-17A, IL-23) and T reg (IL-10, TGF-β) cell commitment and IL-1 β and TNF-α (cytokines of the innate immune response) was assayed in duplicate by ELISA (Biosource, Camarillo, CA) and the results were expressed as picogram of cytokine per milligram of protein.Data were analyzed with SPSS.Comparisons between the groups were done by the two-tailed Mann-Whitney U-test.The ileal and colonic concentration of all proinflammatory cytokines was significantly higher in the patients with CD and also UC than in control group (p<0.001 for all).Otherwise, ileal IL-10 (369.7±47.9 vs. 1569.3±81.7)and TGF-β (10534.9±391.2 vs. 13045.8±1005.8)and colonic IL-10 (225.2±47.1 vs. 1563.3±81.7)and TGF-β (7224.0±306.7 vs. 12962.8±991.4)concentration was lower in UC than in controls.Also ileal IL-10 (224.9±23.9)and TGF-β (7073.6±54.4) and colonic IL-10 (310.7±55.3)and TGF-β (9089.1±1850.3)concentration was lower in CD patients than in controls.Significant differences between CD and UC were also observed.Thus, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 ileal and colonic concentration was higher in DC than in UC.Otherwise, IL-10 ileal concentration was lower in CD and IL-10 colonic concentration was lower in UC.The concentration of other cytokines including those of the innate immunity and Th1 response was higher in the ileum of CD and higher in the colon of UC when the diseases where compared.Next CD with and without complications were compared.Although no significant differences were observed between patients with stenosis (n=17) and fistula (n=7), the colonic concentration of Th17-associated cytokines and TNF-α was significantly higher (p<0.03),either in patients with stenosis or with fistula than in those without complications .In conclusion, in CD predominates a Th17 shift, and an insuficient T reg cell activation to suppress the overwhelming proinflammatory milieu was observed in both diseases.