Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Induction of Murine Intestinal Inflammation by Adoptive Transfer of Effector CD4+CD45RBhigh T Cells into Immunodeficient Mice
Published on: April 21, 2015
Abnormalities of B-cell activation and immunoregulation in patients with Crohn's disease
Abstract:
We have studied B-lymphocyte function in 39 patients with Crohn's disease and 35 normal individuals using a reverse haemolytic plaque assay as the effector system. Ten patients had active Crohn's disease, the others being in an inactive state of the disease. Compared with normal individuals, the Crohn's disease patients - especially those in the active state of the disease - had markedly raised numbers of spontaneous immunoglobulin secreting cells and severely decreased responses to the polyclonal activator pokeweed mitogen. The differences between the reactivity of patients with active disease and those with inactive disease were statistically significant. These findings indicate an in vivo polyclonal B-cell activation in Crohn's disease patients, possibly due to antigen(s) or infectious agent(s). In vitro experiments were performed with separated lymphocytes in order to characterise the mechanism responsible for the altered immune reactivity in Crohn's disease. These revealed an intrinsic B-cell defect as well as an impaired T-helper cell capacity in patients with Crohn's disease. Findings supporting the hypothesis of an increased suppressor activity in Crohn's disease patients could not be observed, and marker analyses revealed normal proportions with the exception of raised Leu 7 positive cells that mediate 'natural killer' and 'killer' cytolysis. We conclude that immune dysfunction in peripheral blood lymphocytes of Crohn's disease patients involves B-cells as well as T-helper cells.
Related Concept Videos
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Immunomodulatory Agents
Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Biologic Agents: Anti-TNF
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease IV: Clinical Manifestations

