In this study, we investigated the circulating IFN-γ and IL-12 production in 2 groups of Algerian patients with IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis).
Elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), are believed to be prominently involved in the pathogenesis of Crohn disease.
Reduced intracellular T-helper 1 interferon-gamma in blood of newly diagnosed children with Crohn's disease and age-related changes in Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles.
The reason for the decreased frequency of an in vitro T(H)-cell IFNgamma response toward E. coli proteins in peripheral blood of CD and AS patients, e.g., increased suppression needs to be clarified.
The stimulatory effects of these cytokines on naive T cells in addition to a strongly synergistic action with IL-12 to trigger interferon-gamma production may contribute to the perpetuation of the inflammatory process in patients with CD.
Through the study of patients and mouse models, it has emerged that Crohn's disease is driven by the production of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), whereas ulcerative colitis is probably driven by the production of IL-13.
It has recently been suggested that Crohn's Disease (CD) is associated with an exaggerated T helper 1 cytokine response as manifest by increased production of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma).
We studied markers in the genes for NRAMP1 and two mutations in the interferon-gamma receptor in relation to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the following groups: 270 healthy individuals, 74 patients with Crohn's disease, 72 patients with ulcerative colitis, and 40 patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.
Intestinal and mesenteric lymph node samples from 9 children who had undergone ileal resection for CD were examined for the presence of epithelioid-giant cell granulomas (EGCG) and Rantes and IFN-gamma messenger RNA (mRNA).
The early ileal lesions of patients with CD were associated with a significant increase of IL-4 mRNA and a decrease of IFN-gamma mRNA compared with the normal mucosa of patients with CD or controls.
A sensitive reverse haemolytic plaque assay to detect lymphokine-secreting T cells, and Northern blot analysis to detect expression of lymphokine messenger RNA (mRNA) were used to study interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production in the mucosa of children with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (UC), and in histologically normal mucosa from patients without inflammatory bowel disease.