Assesment of Cryptitis Development in Ulcerative Colitis –ultrastructural Study

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory chronic disease primarily affecting the colonic mucosa. Neutrophils within epithelial structures, such as the crypt wall (cryptitis), or the crypt lumen and wall (crypt abscesses) or in association with crypt damage (crypt destruction) are helpful for the diagnosis. To assess ultrastructural changes of the colonic epithelium in patients with active UC with special referral to the development of crypt abscesses. Methods: a total number of 28 patients, 20 with clinical manifestations of UC and 8 healthy subjects underwent colonoscopy. The biopsies obtained during colonoscopy, after specific preparation were stained using routine H&E histological methods using a light microscope Carl Zeiss Ergaval to establish the histopatological diagnosis. The specimens for ultrastructural assessment were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and studied with a JEM-1010 transmission electron microscope. We observed the rarefaction or even the absence of the microvilli, the reduction of goblet cells, the shatter of the epithelial junctions, cytoplasmic vacuolisation, dilatation of the endoplasmic reticulum, pycnotic nuclei, the destruction of the mitochondria and Golgi complexes which conducts in the end to the drastic reduction of the mucus production. Our investigation has revealed that in acute stage of UC a loose cohesion of epithelial cells is present. We can say that, in the acute stage of ulcerative colitis, a great part of the ultrastructural changes are interrelated with the disorders of the epithelial cells. Cryptitis, crypt abscesses and crypt destructions are important in the development of the inflammatory process in UC.