NEUROENDOCRINE CELLS ALTERATIONS IN COLONIC MUCOSA OF PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: SEVERAL PUBLISHED STUDIES ON HUMAN AND ANIMAL MODELS SHOWED INCREASED DENSITIES OF NEUROENDOCRINE CELLS (NE)CELLS IN COLONIC MUCOSA OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE ( IBD) COLITIS. THE AIM OF OUR STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE (NE) CELLS DENSITIES IN COLONIC MUCOSA OF PATIENTS WITH (IBD).METHODS: COLONIC BIOPSIES FROM 18 PATIENTS WITH IBD ( 8 ULCERATIVE COLITIS; 10 CHRON’S DISEASE) AND 16 HEALTHY CONTROLS WERE EVALUATED HISTOPATOLOGIC WITH HEMATOXYLIN-EOSIN AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL WITH CHROMOGRANIN A (CGA) AND SYNAPTOHYSIN(SYN) ANTIBODIES.RESULTS: NE CELLS WERE COUNTED ON A TOTAL MEDIAN NUMBER OF 24.1(7;56) CRYPTS FOR CGA; 24(5;57) FOR SYN IN IBD GROUP AND 29 (11;64) CRYPTS FOR CGA AND 29;2(11.52) CRYPTS FOR SYN IN CONTROLS.THE TOTAL DENSITIES/SUBJECT OF NE CELLS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN IBD GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROLS FOR BOTH CGA AND SYN: 1.45(0.72;2.78) AND 0.86(0.43;1.73) FOR CGA (P= 0;006); 0.89(0.22;1.63) AND 0.63(0.28;1.28) FOR SYN (P=0;025)CONCLUSIONS: OUR STUDY SHOWED AN INCREASED DENSITY OF CGA AND SYN POSITIVE NEC IN PATIENTS WITH IBD.