Background: The aim of the present work was to assess osteopontin (OPN) expression in the colon tissues of ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD), and diverticulitis (Div) patients.
Methods: This study included three groups: the UC group, CD group, and Div group. Immunohistochemical staining was performed, using an immunoperoxidase method.
Results: Regarding OPN expression in intestinal epithelial cells, no difference was noted among the three groups. However, in the submucosa of the UC group, the ratio of two types of large cells (oval and spindle-shaped) expressing OPN was 61.2 +/- 14.4% (mean +/- SD), which was significantly higher than that in the CD group (14.9 +/- 7.0%; P < 0.05) and that in the Div group (11.2 +/- 6.1%; P < 0.05). In addition, in the UC group, the ratio of these cells in the subserosa (50.1 +/- 15.0%; mean +/- SD) was significantly higher than that in the CD group (16.9 +/- 6.2%; P < 0.05) and that in the Div group (12.6 +/- 5.7%; P < 0.05). In a serial section study, the oval-shaped cells were stained for anti-CD 68, while the spindle-shaped cells were stained for anti-vimentin.
Conclusions: OPN in two types of large colon-infiltrating cells is possibly related to one of the pathogenic factors of UC.