Immunoglobulin production by isolated intestinal mononuclear cells from patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease

We studied immunoglobulin production by isolated intestinal mononuclear cells from 25 patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 17 controls undergoing surgical resections for intestinal tumour or other disorders. Normal ileal intestinal mononuclear cells spontaneously produced greater amounts of IgA and IgM than did normal colon cells. In cells from patients with IBD there was a significantly reduced IgA production, but production of IgG was enhanced in both colon and ileum. The alteration in IgA and IgG production in IBD was confirmed by comparing the immunoglobulin production by mononuclear cells from inflamed with that from non-inflamed areas of mucosa in six patients with distal ulcerative colitis. The proportion of IgA-containing cells in isolated intestinal mononuclear cells from IBD mucosa was less than normal. However, the proportion of IgG-containing cells from IBD mucosa was not increased in isolated intestinal mononuclear cells although they produced more IgG than normal mucosal cells. Our study showed an altered pattern of immunoglobulin production by intestinal mononuclear cells isolated from patients with inflammatory bowel disease.