Characterization of mucin in gut lavage fluid obtained from inflammatory bowel disease

Gut lavage fluid, collected by the oral administration of an electrolyte lavage solution, was found to be an excellent and easily collectible source of abundant mucin. Furthermore, the biochemical features of mucin from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) were investigated. The mucin was separated into four fractions by Sepharose CL-4B, Sepharose CL-2B, and DEAE Sephacel chromatography. Compared to healthy subjects, the total yields of mucin from ulcerative colitis patients were low due to a deficiency of neutral mucin, whereas those from Crohn's disease patients were high, mainly due to high-molecular-weight mucin. Fucose and sulfate content was low in ulcerative colitis, but only the former was low in Crohn's disease. The different biochemical features of mucin obtained from gut lavage fluid appear to reflect the mucosal pathological changes associated with inflammatory bowel disease.