Chronic colitis is associated with a reduction of mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity

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Urban Sjöqvist1, Erik Hertervig, Ake Nilsson

  • 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. urban.sjoqvist@sos.sll.se

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
|July 20, 2002
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Reduced intestinal alkaline sphingomyelinase (SMase) activity, observed in colorectal tumors, is also present in patients with chronic colitis. This reduction is not a marker for high-risk patients but may indicate premature mucosal senescence with age.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Sphingomyelin (SM) hydrolysis by alkaline sphingomyelinase (SMase) yields molecules that regulate cell growth.
  • Reduced SMase activity is linked to colorectal tumors, suggesting a protective role in colonic mucosa.
  • Intestinal SMase activity is diminished in colorectal cancer and adenomas.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure alkaline SMase activity in patients with longstanding colitis.
  • To determine if reduced SMase activity can serve as a surveillance marker for high-risk individuals.
  • To investigate the association between SMase activity, dysplasia, and DNA aneuploidy.

Main Methods:

  • Alkaline SMase activity was quantified in 139 colonic biopsies from 34 colitis patients and 11 controls.
  • Histologic dysplasia and DNA aneuploidy (via flow cytometry) were assessed.
  • SMase activity was correlated with dysplasia, DNA ploidy, patient age, and disease duration.

Main Results:

  • Alkaline SMase activity was significantly lower in colitis patients compared to controls (p=0.006).
  • No association was found between SMase activity and dysplasia or DNA ploidy in biopsies.
  • SMase activity demonstrated an age-dependent decrease in both patients and controls (p=0.008).

Conclusions:

  • Reduced alkaline SMase activity, a feature of colorectal cancer, is also present in chronic colitis.
  • SMase activity reduction is not a complementary marker for identifying high-risk patients with dysplasia or DNA aneuploidy.
  • The age-related decline in SMase activity suggests premature mucosal senescence in longstanding colitis.

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