Interleukin-6 and interferon-γ release from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and colonic lamina propria mononuclear cells from patients with ulcerative colitis Liberación de interleuquina-6 e interferón-γ por células mononucleares de la sangre y de muco

Background: Cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. Aim: To measure cytokine release by mononuclear cells of patients with ulcerative colitis. Patients and methods: Twelve patients subjected to a diagnostic colonoscopy were studied. Six had an ulcerative colitis and six did not have inflammatory changes in the colonic mucosa and were considered as control. Mononuclear cells were isolated from biopsies of colonic mucosa and from peripheral blood cultivated during 48 hours with pokeweed mitogen, and Interleukin 6 and interferon-γ were measured in their supernatants. Results: In patients with ulcerative colitis, interleukin 6 secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was higher than in control subjects in the basal period (2212 ± 424 and 443 ± 174 pg/ml respectively p= 0.03) and after stimulation with pokeweed mitogen (16328 ± 1275 and 5462 ± 322 pg/ml respectively p = 0.03). No differences in interleuk