SSAT - APPENDECTOMY AND ULCERATIVE COLITIS: ROLE OF INNATE IMMUNITY IN THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE OF THE APPENDICULAR AND COLONIC MUCOSA

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APPENDECTOMY AND ULCERATIVE COLITIS: ROLE OF INNATE IMMUNITY IN THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE OF THE APPENDICULAR AND COLONIC MUCOSA
Imerio Angriman², Luca Maria Saadeh^*², Melania Scarpa¹, Claudia Mescoli³, Andromachi Kotsafti¹, Francesco Cavallin¹, Massimo Rugge⁴, Romeo Bardini², Ignazio Castagliuolo⁵, Marco Scarpa¹
¹Surgical Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology, Padova, Italy; ²Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Università di Padova, Padova, Italy; ³Azienda Ospedaliera-Università di Padova, Padova, Italy; ⁴Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy; ⁵Department of Molecular Medicine, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy

Background
UC pathogenesis involve both gut-associated lymphoid tissue and enteric microflora. Several studies suggested that appendectomy at a young age reduce the risk of UC onset. Moreover, other studies showed that the appendix may also be somehow implicated in UC pathogenesis but the exact mechanism remain unclear. The aim of this study is to analyse the inflammatory response in the appendix and in the colon to determine its role in UC.

Patients and methods:
In this study, 28 patients operated on for UC, acute appendicitis or colorectal cancer were enrolled.
Appendicular wall tissue samples were harvested and FACS analysis for activated M2 macrophages, dendritic cells and T lymphocytes was performed. The statistical analysis was performed with non parametric tests.

Results:
FACS analysis showed a statistically significant increase of the CD163+CD86+ cells rate in the appendix of patients with UC compared to that observed in patients with colorectal cacer or acute appendicitis (p=0.05). We did not observed any difference in CD1a+CD86+ and CD8+CD69+ cell rate among the three groups.

Conclusions:
These preliminary data showed an activation of M2 macrophages in the appendix of UC patients suggesting a relationship between appendicular inflammatory response and UC. Further data on the local microbiota will shed light on the interplay between chronic inflammation in the appendicitis and UC activity.

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