A HISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF GOBLET CELL MUCIN IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TIME SEQUENCE

Abstract

Mucin characteristics of serial biopsies in patients with ulcerative colitis was studied by PAT/KOH/PAS staining method in order to demonstrate mucin characteristics in active and inactive.
A total of 134 biopsy specimens from 74 patients were obtained via proctoscope or colonoscope for this study.
From our observations it became clear that blue stained sialomucin was predominant in active state whereas red stained sialomucin was mainly seen in remission, however, in some patients colonic mucin showed the same characteristics in both active and inactive state.
Staining characteristics of the active and proximal normal mucosa were equivalent in subjects examined. Those having red stained sialomucin in both active and inactive sites tend to become remitting state.
Those having red stained sialomucin in remission tend to have prolonged remitting state, whereas those having red sialomucin in active state tend to have rather short period of active disease.
All dysplastic tubules in ulcerative colitis were found to have blue stained sialomucin, and it was interesting to note that in some areas with normal appearence tubules having blue stained sialomucin were present in a mosaic pattern.