The expression of apoptosis-related proteins in patients with ulcerative colitis

Purpose: Recent literature data indicate a key role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the expression of Bax, Bid, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl in non-dysplastic and dysplastic epithelium in inflamated mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. Methods: The study consists of 18 patients with diagnosed ulcerative colitis. The expression of proteins was determined immunohistochemically. Results: Lack of Bax expression in normal epithelium of the inflamed intestinal mucosa (94.4%) and a weak expression of this protein were found in dysplastic glandular cells (67%). The Bax expression of dysplastic epithelium correlates with reduced severity of chronic inflammation (p