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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Sep 15.
Published in final edited form as: Gastroenterology. 2011 May;140(6):1756–1767. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2011.02.016

Figure 4. The Pathogenesis of Ulcerative Colitis.

Figure 4

Inflammation in ulcerative colitis is initiated by glycolipid antigen(s) rising from either the microbiota or epithelial cells acted upon by microbiota. These antigens are presented to NKT cells in the context of CD1 on the surface of epithelial cells or dendritic cells and the NKT cells so stimulated act as effector cells mediating disease. Resultant epithelial cell damage and ulcer formation is caused by the cytotoxic activity of the NKT cells which recognize epithelial cells bearing antigen-loaded CD1 as targets or by IL-13 which has been shown to cause epithelial cell apoptosis and loss of epithelial barrier function; in addition, IL-13 enhances NKT cell cytotoxity.