ACTIVATED CD4-COLITIS PATIENTS - THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO HLA-DR ANTIGENEXPRESSION ON THE COLONIC EPITHELIUM AND SERUM-SOLUBLE CD25 LEVELS( AND CD8+ CELLS IN THE COLONIC MUCOSA OF ULCERATIVE)

This study was performed to clarify the relationship between activated (HLA-DR-expressing) CD4+ and CD8+ cells in the colonic lamina propria of ulcerative colitis and other immunological factors, i.e., epitheli al DR expression, serum soluble CD25 levels, and colonic mucosal CD25 cells. The frequency of epithelial DR expression was positively corre lated with the numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ cells. The percentages activat ed CD4+/CD4+ cells were higher in mucosae with DR- epithelium than in mucosae with DR+ epithelium. The serum soluble CD25 levels were increa sed in ulcerative colitis, and there was an inverse correlation betwee n these levels and the relative number of activated CD4+ cells in untr eated active disease. These results suggest that interactions among mu cosal CD4+ cells, colonic epithelium, and serum soluble CD25 might pla y an important role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis.