Enriched CD45RA - CD62L + central memory T and decreased CD3 + CD56 + natural killer T lymphocyte subsets in the rectum of ulcerative colitis patients.

subset (natural killer T cells) was decreased in the rectum compared to that of less inflamed colonic mucosa. These results suggest that the enrichment of central memory T lymphocytes and the reduction of natural killer T cells in the gut mucosa are involved in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis.