Skip to main content
PMC home page
Gut logoLink to Gut
. 1991 Sep;32(9):1016–1019. doi: 10.1136/gut.32.9.1016

Smoking, humoral immunity, and ulcerative colitis.

E D Srivastava 1, J R Barton 1, S O'Mahony 1, D I Phillips 1, G T Williams 1, N Matthews 1, A Ferguson 1, J Rhodes 1
PMCID: PMC1379041  PMID: 1916482

Abstract

Since ulcerative colitis predominantly affects non-smokers and ex-smokers we have examined the possibility that smoking modifies the humoral immune response to an antigenic challenge from the gut lumen. Gut lavage was used in healthy subjects and patients with ulcerative colitis, including both smokers and non-smokers. Antibodies in the intestinal fluid to Escherichia coli (five pooled serotypes), Candida albicans, gliadin, ovalbumin, and beta lactoglobulin were measured by ELISA to determine specific antibody concentrations of IgG, IgA, and IgM classes. Total IgG, IgA, and IgM were also measured in intestinal secretions and serum. In addition, circulating antibody concentrations of IgG, IgA, and IgM to three gut commensals - E coli (five pooled serotypes) C albicans, and Poroteus mirabilis were measured. There was a significant reduction in the IgA concentration in intestinal fluid of smokers with ulcerative colitis compared with healthy non-smoking controls. No other significant differences were found between the groups. Overall, these data are not consistent with the idea that smoking suppresses immune responses in the gut and suggest that the effect of smoking in colitis is mediated by another mechanism.

Full text

PDF
1016

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andersen P., Pedersen O. F., Bach B., Bonde G. J. Serum antibodies and immunoglobulins in smokers and nonsmokers. Clin Exp Immunol. 1982 Feb;47(2):467–473. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Badr-el-Din S., Trejdosiewicz L. K., Heatley R. V., Losowsky M. S. Local immunity in ulcerative colitis: evidence for defective secretory IgA production. Gut. 1988 Aug;29(8):1070–1075. doi: 10.1136/gut.29.8.1070. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barton J. R., Riad M. A., Gaze M. N., Maran A. G., Ferguson A. Mucosal immunodeficiency in smokers, and in patients with epithelial head and neck tumours. Gut. 1990 Apr;31(4):378–382. doi: 10.1136/gut.31.4.378. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bull K., Matthews N., Rhodes J. Antibody response to anaerobic coccoid rods in Crohn's disease. J Clin Pathol. 1986 Oct;39(10):1130–1134. doi: 10.1136/jcp.39.10.1130. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cope G. F., Heatley R. V., Kelleher J. K. Smoking and colonic mucus in ulcerative colitis. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Aug 23;293(6545):481–481. doi: 10.1136/bmj.293.6545.481. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cormier Y., Bélanger J., Durand P. Factors influencing the development of serum precipitins to farmer's lung antigen in Quebec dairy farmers. Thorax. 1985 Feb;40(2):138–142. doi: 10.1136/thx.40.2.138. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Davis G. R., Santa Ana C. A., Morawski S. G., Fordtran J. S. Development of a lavage solution associated with minimal water and electrolyte absorption or secretion. Gastroenterology. 1980 May;78(5 Pt 1):991–995. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. DiPalma J. A., Brady C. E., 3rd, Stewart D. L., Karlin D. A., McKinney M. K., Clement D. J., Coleman T. W., Pierson W. P. Comparison of colon cleansing methods in preparation for colonoscopy. Gastroenterology. 1984 May;86(5 Pt 1):856–860. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. DiPiro J. T., Michael K. A., Clark B. A., Dickson P., Vallner J. J., Bowden T. A., Jr, Tedesco F. J. Absorption of polyethylene glycol after administration of a PEG-electrolyte lavage solution. Clin Pharm. 1986 Feb;5(2):153–155. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gaspari M. M., Brennan P. T., Solomon S. M., Elson C. O. A method of obtaining, processing, and analyzing human intestinal secretions for antibody content. J Immunol Methods. 1988 May 25;110(1):85–91. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(88)90086-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gotoh T., Ueda S., Nakayama T., Takishita Y., Yasuoka S., Tsubura E. Protein components of bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from non-smokers and smokers. Eur J Respir Dis. 1983 Jul;64(5):369–377. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Harries A. D., Baird A., Rhodes J. Non-smoking: a feature of ulcerative colitis. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1982 Mar 6;284(6317):706–706. doi: 10.1136/bmj.284.6317.706. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hersey P., Prendergast D., Edwards A. Effects of cigarette smoking on the immune system. Follow-up studies in normal subjects after cessation of smoking. Med J Aust. 1983 Oct 29;2(9):425–429. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hodgson H. J., Jewell D. P. The humoral immune system in inflammatory bowel disease. II. Immunologlobulin levels. Am J Dig Dis. 1978 Feb;23(2):123–128. doi: 10.1007/BF01073186. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Holt P. G. Immune and inflammatory function in cigarette smokers. Thorax. 1987 Apr;42(4):241–249. doi: 10.1136/thx.42.4.241. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Knowles G. K., Taylor P., Turner-Warwick M. A comparison of antibody responses to Admune inactivated influenza vaccine in serum and respiratory secretions of healthy non-smokers, healthy cigarette-smokers and patients with chronic bronchitis. Br J Dis Chest. 1981 Jul;75(3):283–290. doi: 10.1016/0007-0971(81)90007-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Laviolette M., Coulombe R., Picard S., Braquet P., Borgeat P. Decreased leukotriene B4 synthesis in smokers' alveolar macrophages in vitro. J Clin Invest. 1986 Jan;77(1):54–60. doi: 10.1172/JCI112301. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Marcy T. W., Merrill W. W. Cigarette smoking and respiratory tract infection. Clin Chest Med. 1987 Sep;8(3):381–391. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. McSharry C., Banham S. W., Boyd G. Effect of cigarette smoking on the antibody response to inhaled antigens and the prevalence of extrinsic allergic alveolitis among pigeon breeders. Clin Allergy. 1985 Sep;15(5):487–494. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1985.tb02299.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Motley R. J., Rhodes J., Kay S., Morris T. J. Late presentation of ulcerative colitis in ex-smokers. Int J Colorectal Dis. 1988 Aug;3(3):171–175. doi: 10.1007/BF01648362. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. O'Mahony S., Arranz E., Barton J. R., Ferguson A. Dissociation between systemic and mucosal humoral immune responses in coeliac disease. Gut. 1991 Jan;32(1):29–35. doi: 10.1136/gut.32.1.29. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. O'Mahony S., Barton J. R., Crichton S., Ferguson A. Appraisal of gut lavage in the study of intestinal humoral immunity. Gut. 1990 Dec;31(12):1341–1344. doi: 10.1136/gut.31.12.1341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Phillips D. I., Matthews N. Measurement of antibodies to Candida albicans as a screening test for humoral immunodeficiency. J Immunol Methods. 1987 Dec 4;105(1):127–131. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(87)90422-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Prytz H., Benoni C., Tagesson C. Does smoking tighten the gut? Scand J Gastroenterol. 1989 Nov;24(9):1084–1088. doi: 10.3109/00365528909089259. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Rasp F. L., Clawson C. C., Hoidal J. R., Repine J. E. Reversible impairment of the adherence of alveolar macrophages from cigarette smokers. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1978 Dec;118(6):979–986. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1978.118.6.979. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rylander R., Wold A., Haglind P. Nasal antibodies against gram-negative bacteria in cotton-mill workers. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1982;69(4):330–334. doi: 10.1159/000233195. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Srivastava E. D., Hallett M. B., Rhodes J. Effect of nicotine and cotinine on the production of oxygen free radicals by neutrophils in smokers and non-smokers. Hum Toxicol. 1989 Nov;8(6):461–463. doi: 10.1177/096032718900800605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Srivastava E. D., Russell M. A., Feyerabend C., Rhodes J. Effect of ulcerative colitis and smoking on rectal blood flow. Gut. 1990 Sep;31(9):1021–1024. doi: 10.1136/gut.31.9.1021. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Tabaqchali S., Howard A., Teoh-Chan C. H., Bettelheim K. A., Gorbach S. L. Escherichia coli serotypes throughout the gastrointestinal tract of patients with intestinal disorders. Gut. 1977 May;18(5):351–355. doi: 10.1136/gut.18.5.351. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Tollerud D. J., Clark J. W., Brown L. M., Neuland C. Y., Mann D. L., Pankiw-Trost L. K., Blattner W. A., Hoover R. N. Association of cigarette smoking with decreased numbers of circulating natural killer cells. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1989 Jan;139(1):194–198. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/139.1.194. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Velluti G., Capelli O., Lusuardi M., Braghiroli A., Pellegrino M., Milanti G., Benedetti L. Bronchoalveolar lavage in the normal lung. First of three parts: protein, enzymatic and ionic features. Respiration. 1983;44(6):403–410. doi: 10.1159/000194577. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Warren C. P. Extrinsic allergic alveolitis: a disease commoner in non-smokers. Thorax. 1977 Oct;32(5):567–569. doi: 10.1136/thx.32.5.567. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES