Is presence of intestinal Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis ( MAP ) DNA associated with altered MMP expression in ulcerative colitis?
The presence of intestinal MAP specific DNA is not associated with altered MMP expression in UC in vivo. Corticosteroids are associated with increased detection of intestinal MAP DNA and decreased expression of certain MMPs. Frequent detection of MAP DNA in healthy controls might be attributable to the wide environmental distribution of MAP and its presence in the food-chain.
The results suggest that regulation of Par-4 contributes to the proapoptotic effects of high-dose COX inhibitors (NSAIDs) by serving as a downstream mediator leading to initiation of programmed cell death.