Detection of anti-colon antibodies in inflammatory bowel disease using human cultured colonic cells

Background-Investigation of anti-colon antibodies may be simplified if a se nsitive method and homogeneous source of antigen were available. Aims-To examine the anti-colon antibody response using human colonic carcin oma cell lines as antigen. Subjects-Patients with inflammatory bowel diseas e and other gastrointestinal disorders and healthy controls were studied. Methods-Comparative enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were perfor med to assess the value of whole Caco-2, HT-29, and LS-180 cells as antigen . The antigenic determinants of the immune response were characterised by w estern blot analysis. Results-Sera demonstrated immunoreactivity against each of the cell lines, but different epitopes were recognised. applying whole Caco-2 cells as anti gen in an ELISA, the prevalence of anti-colon antibodies was significantly greater in patients with ulcerative colitis (36%) than Crohn's disease (13% ), other gastrointestinal disorders (13%) and healthy controls (0) (p<0.05) . The immune response was not: associated with one predominant antigen. Conclusions-Fixed whole cell ELISA is a simple and feasible method for stud ying the anti-colon antibody response. This response is non-specific, being directed against multiple antigens, and is likely to be an epiphenomenon o f inflammatory bowel disease, more so for ulcerative colitis than Crohn's d isease.