In the mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in addition to normal IMAC, a reactive MAC population as well as increased levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is found.
The chemokine MCP-1 is thought to be important for the recruitment of mononuclear cells and the maintenance of inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease.
The increased number of MCP-1 and RANTES mRNA-expressing cells in mucosa from patients with IBD suggests that these cytokines play a role in the pathogenesis of mucosal inflammation.