Identification of mite-specific eosinophils in the colon of patients with ulcerative colitis

Abstract

The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is unclear. House dust mite (HDM) is associated with immune inflammation in the body. This study is designed to identify the association between HDM and UC clinical symptoms. UC patients (n = 86) and non-UC control (NC) subjects (n = 64) were recruited. Colon lavage fluids (CLF) were collected from HDM skin prick test positive patients during colonoscopy, and analyzed by immunological approaches. HDM was detected in fecal samples, which was positively correlated with UC clinical symptoms. HDM-specific eosinophils and Th2 cells were detected in CLF, which could be specifically activated by exposing to HDM in the culture. Direct exposure to HDM induced eosinophil activation in the colon of UC patients. UC patients displayed elevated levels of Th2 cytokines in the serum. UC clinical symptom scores were positively correlated with serum levels of Th2 cytokines. HDM was detected in UC patients’ stools, which was positively correlated with UC clinical symptoms. Direct exposure to HDM could trigger eosinophilic activation of the colon.

Keywords:

• Colon
• house dust mite
• eosinophil
• cytokines
• colonoscopy

Author contribution

Peng SW, Sheng JM, Feng BS, Peng KP, Liang CB, Liu ML, Xie HQ, Shu Q and Li Y performed experiments, analyzed data, and reviewed the manuscript. Peng SWP, Sheng JMS, Feng BS share the first authorship. Tian GX and Yang PC designed the project, organized the study, supervised experiments and prepared manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82002397).