1.   Reactive oxygen species have been implicated as mediators of inflammation in ulcerative colitis.

2.   Chemiluminescence is a reliable means of estimating reactive oxygen species in biological media.

3.   Chemiluminescence is a simple, sensitive, and reproducible technique that can be used to estimate reactive oxygen species in biological media.

4.   Using chemiluminescence produced by cells and extracts, several investigators have showed the role of reactive oxygen species in different disorders.

5.   In contrast, reports on the use of this technique for tissue reactive oxygen species are very limited.

6.   One potential source for the increased values of reactive oxygen species in inflammatory bowel disease is the neutrophil.

7.   This superoxide could then be metabolised further to other reactive oxygen species either in colonocytes or in neutrophils.

8.   This study presents evidence, based on chemiluminescence data, that further suggests that reactive oxygen species play a part in ulcerative colitis.