A study of cell proliferation kinetics in the small intestinal epithelium of psoriasis patients

Summary Small intestinal biopsies from psoriasis patients and from nonnal controls were obtained with a multipurpose suction tube. The tissue was incubated with tritiated thymidine and processed for autoradiography. Labelling indices (LI) were calculated by counting labelled cells in all crypt cross-sections through the entire proliferative compartment. LI was increased in psoriatics as compared to controls indicating alterations in small intestinal epithelial cell kinetics in psoriasis. A continuous labelling allowing us to calculate the S-phase duration and the total cell turnover time was probably not obtained within an experimental period.