Chemiluminescent response of neutrophils from patients with inflammatory bowel disease

The activity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is often difficult to monitor by currently available laboratory tests. The oxidative metabolic activity of Ficoll-Hypaque separated human neutrophils was determined in a luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay and compared to the white blood cell (WBC) count and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) among 13 subjects with inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical disease activity was assessed with a standardized scoring system and judged to be mild in five subjects and absent (remission) in the other eight subjects. The chemiluminescent response of neutrophils was increased among 12 persons compared to that of healthy subjects. In contrast, the WBC count and ESR were abnormal only among two and four individuals, respectively. The widespread abnormality in neutrophil chemiluminescence, even among subjects classified as being in remission, suggests that chemiluminescence determinations may provide a means to monitor longitudinal changes in disease activity.