Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are both inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Unlike UC, which is limited to the mucosa of the colon, CD inflammation is characterized by chronic mucosal ulcerations affecting the entire gastrointestinal tract. Goblet cells (GCs) can be found in some lining epithelia, particularly in the respiratory and digestive tracts. GCs represent the main source of mucin that are the significant components of the mucus layer; hypertrophy of GCs and an increase in mucin production are observed in many enteric infections. The cytoplasm of goblet cells may also contain neuropeptides, such as serotonin, that can be altered in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The defense system of the gut is represented by the intestinal mucosal barrier, its protective function is strictly connected to the regulation of the mucus layer and the coordination of the neuro-immune response. Paraformaldehyde-fixed intestinal tissues, obtained from fifteen patients with Crohn’s disease, were analyzed by immunostaining for MUC2, MUC4, 5-HT, and VAChT. This study aims to define the link between neuropeptides and mucins in mucous cells and their involvement in the inflammation process. Our results showed in mucous cells of Crohn’s disease (CD) patients a high expression of MUC4 and a decrease in the expression of vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) demonstrating the presence of an inflammatory state.

克罗恩病（CD）和溃疡性结肠炎（UC）都是炎症性肠病（IBD）。与仅限于结肠粘膜的 UC 不同，CD 炎症的特点是影响整个胃肠道的慢性粘膜溃疡。杯状细胞 (GC) 存在于一些衬里上皮细胞中，特别是在呼吸道和消化道中。GC 代表粘蛋白的主要来源，粘蛋白是粘液层的重要组成部分；在许多肠道感染中观察到GCs肥大和粘蛋白产生增加。杯状细胞的细胞质还可能含有神经肽，例如血清素，这些神经肽在炎症性肠病（IBD）中可能会发生改变。肠道的防御系统以肠粘膜屏障为代表，其保护功能与粘液层的调节和神经免疫反应的协调密切相关。通过免疫染色分析从 15 名克罗恩病患者获得的多聚甲醛固定的肠组织中的MUC2 、MUC4 、5-HT 和 VAChT 。这项研究旨在明确粘液细胞中神经肽和粘蛋白之间的联系及其在炎症过程中的参与。我们的结果显示，克罗恩病 (CD) 患者的粘液细胞中 MUC4 高表达，而囊泡乙酰胆碱转运蛋白 (VAChT) 表达减少，表明存在炎症状态。