Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with increased mucosal levels of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: Clinical sepsis seldom accompanies inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of this study was to measure colonic mucosal levels of the neutrophil product bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), which kills gram-negative bacteria in addition to inactivating endotoxin. METHODS: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry for BPI were performed on homogenates and tissue secretions of biopsy specimens from patients with ulcerative colitis (n=11) and Crohn's disease (n=5) and from normal controls (n=5). RESULTS: Mucosal neutrophil content (144 +/- 23 vs. 35 +/- 9 neutrophils/mg protein; P