ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Thromboxane synthase immunohistochemistry in inflammatory bowel disease

E Carty¹, C Nickols², R M Feakins², D S Rampton¹

¹ Department of Adult and Paediatric Gastroenterology, St Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary College, London UK
² Department of Histopathology, St Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr D S Rampton, Department of Gastroenterology, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BB, UK;
d.rampton{at}qmul.ac.uk

Background: Thromboxanes are produced in excess in inflammatory bowel disease. Preliminary reports suggest that ridogrel, a thromboxane synthase inhibitor, is anti-inflammatory and may have therapeutic benefits in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Aims: To investigate the immunohistochemical expression of thromboxane synthase in the colorectal mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Methods: Immunostaining of colonic biopsies from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (n = 13) and controls (n = 5) was performed using a monoclonal antibody to human thromboxane synthase. The extent of staining in cells of the lamina propria was compared in patient and control groups, and was assessed in relation to disease activity scored macroscopically and histologically.

Results: The percentage of cells in the lamina propria staining for thromboxane synthase was higher in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease than in those with inactive disease or in controls (p = 0.02 and p = 0.002, respectively). There was a direct correlation between disease activity, measured endoscopically and histologically, and the percentage of lamina propria cells staining for thromboxane synthase (R = 0.71, p = 0.001 and R = 0.72, p = 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions: Increased thromboxane synthase expression in lamina propria cells occurs in active inflammatory bowel disease. It is possible that this results in increased thromboxane synthesis, which may in turn contribute to mucosal inflammation and intramucosal thrombogenesis.

Keywords: thromboxane; thromboxane synthase; ulcerative colitis; Crohn's disease

Abbreviations: CD, Crohn's disease; H&E, haematoxylin and eosin; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; IQR, interquartile range; LP, lamina propria; PG, prostaglandin; TXS, thromboxane synthase; UC, ulcerative colitis

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