Published online May 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i19.6065
Peer-review started: October 28, 2014
First decision: November 14, 2014
Revised: December 3, 2014
Accepted: January 30, 2015
Article in press: January 30, 2015
Published online: May 21, 2015
Processing time: 205 Days and 12 Hours
In this case report, we examined the levels of cytokines expressed before and during fecal stream diversion and after intestinal continuity was restored in a patient with collagenous colitis. We report the case of a 46-year-old woman with chronic, active collagenous colitis who either failed to achieve clinical remission or experienced adverse effects with the following drugs: loperamide, cholestyramine, budesonide, methotrexate and adalimumab. Due to the intractable nature of the disease and because the patient was having up to 15 watery bowel movements per day, she underwent a temporary ileostomy. Colonic biopsies were analyzed for mucosal cytokine protein levels before and during fecal stream diversion and after intestinal continuity was restored. Mucosal protein levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17 A, IL-23, TNF, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13 were all higher during active disease and decreased to non-detectable or considerably lower levels during fecal stream diversion. One month after the restoration of bowel continuity, when the patient experienced a relapse of symptoms, IL-2, IL-23 and IL-21 levels were again increased. Our results indicate that fecal stream diversion in this patient suppressed the levels of all cytokines analyzed in colonic biopsies. With the recurrence of clinical symptoms and histological changes after bowel reconstruction, the levels of primarily proinflammatory cytokines increased. Our findings support the hypothesis that a luminal factor triggers the inflammation observed in collagenous colitis.
Core tip: The pathophysiology of collagenous colitis remains poorly understood. We describe a patient with chronic, active collagenous colitis who either failed to achieve clinical remission or experienced adverse effects with all medications given; therefore the patient was treated with a temporary loop ileostomy. We analyzed cytokine protein production with Luminex assays in colonic biopsy tissues obtained before and during fecal stream diversion (FSD) and after intestinal continuity was restored. Because FSD leads to clinical and histological remission, this study protocol provided a unique opportunity to study cytokine dynamics during different stages of disease. We were thus able to demonstrate that FSD was followed by a decrease in the levels of nearly all cytokines and that the restoration of bowel continuity increased the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin IL-2, IL-21 and IL-23.