In order to determine the behavior of monocytes and mast cells in the free peritoneum in the presence of inflammatory disease of the colon, cells known to participate actively in the inflammatory process, ulcerative colitis was induced in rats with 10% acetic acid. Twenty Wistar rats were divided into two groups of 10 animals each, controls and animals submitted to the induction of colitis. Macrophages were labeled with Trypan blue and the cells were captured from the free peritoneum after 5 days of evolution of the disease. The number of monocytes/macrophages was 3 times higher in the peritoneal fluid obtained from animals with inflammatory disease than in the controls and the number of mast cells was twice higher (p<0,001). These data permit us to propose that the peritoneum actively participates in the inflammatory process.
Colitis; ulcerative; Monocytes; Mast cells
