Significance of systemic endotoxaemia in inflammatory bowel disease

• Published in: Gut Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 897 - 901
• Main Authors: Gardiner, K R, Halliday, M I, Barclay, G R, Milne, L, Brown, D, Stephens, S, Maxwell, R J, Rowlands, B J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology 01.06.1995; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Colitis - blood; Colitis, Ulcerative - blood; Crohn Disease - blood; Endotoxins - blood; Endotoxins - immunology; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - blood; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - drug therapy; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Other diseases. Semiology; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor - analysis; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - analysis; Human; Immune response; Pathogenesis; Cytokine; Systemic; Endotoxin; Inflammatory disease; Crohn disease; Tumor necrosis factor; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease; Endotoxemia; Macrophage; Ulcerative colitis
• ISSN: 0017-5749; 1468-3288; 1458-3288
• DOI: 10.1136/gut.36.6.897

Quantitative and qualitative disturbances in faecal flora suggest a role for enteric bacteria and their products in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study investigated the hypothesis that systemically circulating endotoxins are of pathogenic significance in IBD by measuring antibody, cytokine, and acute phase protein responses. Systemic endotoxaemia was found in 88% patients with ulcerative colitis (n = 25) and 94% with Crohn's disease (n = 31) during clinical relapse. Systemic endotoxaemia correlated positively with anatomic extent and clinical activity of ulcerative colitis. Circulating tumour necrosis factor (TNF) was detected in 40% of patients with ulcerative colitis and 45% with Crohn's disease. Plasma TNF concentrations correlated with clinical and laboratory measures of disease activity and were associated with a surgical outcome to the disease episode. Plasma soluble TNF receptor p55 concentration correlated positively with disease activity and endotoxin core antibody concentrations. Plasma IgG endotoxin core antibody concentrations were significantly increased in patients with Crohn's disease and correlated with systemic endotoxaemia. The presence of systemic endotoxaemia, its correlation with disease activity, disease extent, and endotoxin core antibody concentration and the detection of circulating TNF and soluble TNF receptors all support a pathogenic role for endotoxins in IBD.