Function of Exudative Neutrophilic Granulocytes in Patients with Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis

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Abstract
Chemotactic, phagocytic, and oxidative metabolic activity of exudative leukocytes was measured in patients with Crohn's disease (n = 20) and with ulcerative colitis (n = 20). Unstimulated and casein-stimulated migration in Boyden chambers did not differ from that of healthy controls (n = 21). Patients with Crohn's disease had reduced serum-independent phagocytosis compared with healthy controls (p < 0.01) and patients with ulcerative colitis (p < 0.01). Serum-dependent phagocytosis by leukocytes from patients with Crohn's disease did not differ from that in controls but was slightly increased in patients with ulcerative colitis (p < 0.02). Unstimulated leukocytes showed increased oxidative metabolic activity in both patient groups compared with controls (p < 0.01), which was negatively correlated with the disease activity in Crohn's disease (p < 0.02). The study shows that mobilized leukocytes from patients with Crohn's disease differ from those mobilized in ulcerative colitis and supports the concept of an abnormal inflammatory reaction in Crohn's disease.