Antigenic Significance of Fetal Colon Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

We have already reported that, in the skin test using human fetal colon LPS (lipopolysaccharide) as antigen, patients with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) frequently showed immediate reaction for the antigen. In the present study, we have studied whether or not this antigen has the capacity of delayed type reaction in the skin test, and obtained the following result that the antigen could show delayed reaction in several cases of IBD. At the same time, the same antigen could show the positive result in LMT (leukocyte migration inhibition test) in several cases of IBD, though the frequency of positive results is lower thanthe skin test.
Judging from these results, it may be concluded that human fetal colon LPS may have the capacity (antigenicity) of cellular immunity as well as of humoral immunity and it may be necessary to perform the precise molecular analysis of the antigen.