1.   Significantly more EGF positive papillae were found in the normal mucosa than in the inflamed mucosa.

2.   Increased reactive oxygen species values in the inflamed colonic mucosa in rats were seen by chemiluminescence.

3.   Luminol enhancee chemiluminescence was significantly raised in inflamed mucosa from patients with ulcerative colitis.

4.   Indomethacin, at doses that are known to inhibit cyclo-oxygenase, failed to inhibit chemiluminescence production by the inflamed colonic mucosa.

5.   This finding suggests that the cyclo-oxygenase pathway could be an important contributor to the production of reactive oxygen species in the inflamed mucosa.

6.   Cyclo-oxygenase pathway does not seem to significantly contribute to chemiluminescence production by the inflamed mucosa.