Premium
Pitfalls in cytokine analysis in inflammatory bowel disease.
Author(s) -
Fiocchi C,
Fukushima K,
Strong SA,
Ina K
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2036.1996.22164022.x
Subject(s) - cytokine , medicine , ulcerative colitis , inflammatory bowel disease , immunology , pathogenesis , disease , pathology
Analysis of cytokine production and function is an indispensable tool to study Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. This analysis has generated a tremendous amount of data, but a clear interpretation of results has been hampered by limited attention paid to several patient‐ and sample‐related pitfalls. These include: clinical parameters; the relative value of circulating vs. intestinal cytokine levels; the selection of tissue specimens and their processing method; the specific cellular source of each cytokine; the effect of cytokine inducers; and the technique utilized to obtain qualitative or quantitative data on cytokine protein or mRNA. Once all of these crucial variables are taken into proper perspective, a better understanding will emerge of the true role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease.