Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Analyzing Beneficial Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Functions During Experimental Colitis
Published on: January 5, 2017
Decrease of reactive-oxygen-producing granulocytes and release of IL-10 into the peripheral blood following
Hiroyuki Hanai1, Takayuki Iida, Ken Takeuchi
1Department of Endoscopic and Photodynamic Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan. flw-1013@topaz.plala.or.jp
Aim:
To investigate the clinical efficacy of leukocytapheresis (LCAP) in patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC), and to elucidate the mechanisms by determining the changes in the cytokine levels in the peripheral blood and of the functions of the peripheral blood leukocytes in these patients.
Methods:
The subjects were 19 patients with active UC, with a mean clinical activity index (CAI) of 9.2. The LCAP was conducted using Cellsorba E. In each session of LCAP, 2-3 L of blood at the flow rate of 30-50 mL/min was processed. The treatment was carried out in approximately 1-h sessions, once a week, for 5-10 wk. Blood samples for determination of the cytokine levels were collected from the inflow side of the column (site of dehematization; at the start of LCAP) and outflow side of the column (at the end of LCAP). Blood samples for the determination of reactive-oxygen-producing cells were collected from the peripheral blood before and after LCAP.
Results:
LCAP resulted in clinical improvement in all the 19 patients of UC recruited for this study. Remission (CAI: < or = 4) was noted in 15 (79%) of the 19 patients. The blood level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 was found to be decreased following treatment by LCAP, and the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 at the outflow side of the LCAP column was found to be significantly elevated as compared to that at the inflow side of the column. The reactive-oxygen-producing granulocytes in the peripheral blood of UC patients was increased as compared to that in healthy persons and the increase was found to be decreased following treatment by LCAP.
Conclusion:
LCAP exerted a high therapeutic efficacy in patients with active UC. Our findings suggest that LCAP is associated with enhanced production of the inhibitory cytokine IL-10 to indirectly inhibit the functions of the inflammatory leukocytes, and that inflammation is also considerably attenuated by the direct removal of reactive-oxygen-producing neutrophils from the peripheral blood.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis
01:29Drugs for Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in IBD
01:29Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Immunomodulatory Agents
01:27Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Ulcerative Colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, encompasses a group of disorders characterized by chronic inflammation or ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract.
Risk Factors
The exact cause of IBD remains unclear, although it is believed to be due to a mix of genetic, environmental, microbial, and immune factors. Genetic factors are significant in determining susceptibility to IBD, with family history being a critical risk factor. Individuals with a first-degree relative who has IBD are at...
01:15Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells