Expression of clusterin in Crohn's disease of the terminal ileum

• Gassler, N. ^[1] ; Autschbachl, F. ^[1] ; Heuschen, G. ^[2] ; Witzgal, R. ^[3] ; Otto, H.F. ^[1] ; Obermüller, N. ^[4]
  1. [1] Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
  2. [2] Department of Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Germany
  3. [3] Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology I, University of Heidelberg, Germany
  4. [4] Medical Research Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany, and Division of Nephrology, Medical Clinic IV, University of Frankfurt! M., Germany

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• Localización: Histology and histopathology: cellular and molecular biology, ISSN-e 1699-5848, ISSN 0213-3911, Vol. 16, Nº. 3, 2001, págs. 755-762
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Crohn 's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory intestinal disorder with disturbance and injury of the intestinal mucosal barrier, in which various proinflammatory molecules as well as molecules with antiinflammatory activity and cytoprotective function are found to be expressed. We investigated whether clusterin, a multifunctional cytoprotective protein, is upregulated in Crohn 's disease, because augmented expression of clusterin is seen in many organs following various forms of tissue injury. Human active ly and inactively inflamed ileal tissues from CD patients as well as normal intestinal specimens from control patients (normal ileum) were investigated by Western blot analysis, immunohistochemisty and in situ hybridization.

    As compared with contro ls, a strongly enhanced expression of clusterin was fo und in CD tissues, correlating with disease activity. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization ana lysis revealed foci of crypts almost comp lete ly lined by c lu sterin expressing enterocytes in CD, a feature that was never seen in controls. Such crypts appeared especiall y within the morphologically intact mucosa apart from erosive or ulcerative lesions. Besides epithelia, clusterin was also expressed by inflammatory mononuclear cells. Enhanced expression of clusterin by crypt epithelia might reflect a cytoprotective function of the protein in order to prevent further injury of the intestinal mucosal barrier in CD.