Mucosal subclass distribution of immunoglobulin G-producing cells is different in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease of the colon

As a marked local immunoglobulin G (IgG) response has previously been found to be the most prominent immunopathological feature of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, the subclass distribution of colonic IgG-producing immunocytes was examined. This study included tissue specimens from 10 patients with ulcerative colitis and 8 with Crohn's colitis. Paired immunofluorescence staining was performed with subclass-specific murine monoclonal antibodies combined with a rabbit antibody reagent of IgG; the proportion of cells belonging to each subclass could thereby be determined in relation to the total number of mucosal IgG immunocytes. A significantly higher median proportion of IgG1 immunocytes was found in ulcerative colitis (81.3%) than in Crohn's colitis (66.5%). Conversely, the median proportion of IgG2 immunocytes was significantly higher in Crohn's colitis (24.9%) than in ulcerative colitis (9.4%). This disparity in the local IgG subclass response might reflect dissimilar mucosal exposure to mitogenetic or antigenic stimuli or genetically determined immunoregulatory differences in the two categories of patients.