Expression of epithelial growth factor receptor, tumor necrosis factor-α and nuclear factor κB in inflammatory bowel diseases

Introduction: The role of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Overexpression of EGFR in colonic inflamed mucosa in patients with IBD has been observed by some authors. Moreover some studies confirm the role of EGFR in upregulating nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression, which may lead to pronounced inflammatory response in IBD. Aim: To evaluate the expression of EGFR, NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha in remission and active phase of Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Material and methods: Biopsy specimens from colonic mucosa were taken at colonoscopy from 62 patients with CD, 92 patients with UC and from 18 healthy subjects with normal colonic mucosa (control). The expression of EGFR, NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Results: The colonic mucosal immunoexpression of EGFR in active phase of IBD was significantly lower compared to the remission. The immunoexpression of NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha was significantly higher in the active disease phase of IBD than in remission. The results suggest that EGFR does not promote inflammation in IBD but most probably is involved in mucosal regeneration in IBD. Conclusions: High expression of NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha in active phases of UC and CD confirm their proinflammatory role in these diseases.