Apoptosis is a known physiological process of programmed cell death and is essential for the development and homeostasis of tissues and organs as well as the elimination of hazards and abnormal cells. In the past 30 years, due to the importance of this cellular mechanism in many diseases, methods have been developed for the detection of apoptosis and of the QNZ 46 proteins RBC8 involved in the process. Apoptosis can be induced by two main pathways: the intrinsic, in which Bax is one of the most important pro-apoptotic protein, and the extrinsic pathways. In addition, there is a close relationship between these apoptosis-related pathways and inflammatory pathways. TNF-a, an important pro-inflammatory cytokine, is involved in the activation of apoptosis, while NF-kB has an anti-apoptotic function, activating the expression of other members of the Bcl-2 family, such as Bcl-2, which prevents cell death. While apoptosis in MAT has not yet been investigated in CD, studies regarding apoptosis in the intestinal tissue of CD patients, and in other inflammatory bowel diseases, such as, ulcerative colitis and in the ileal pouch of UC patients, have been previously published. Reports show that the T cells of CD mucosa exhibit resistance to a variety of signals that induce apoptosis, including the differential expression of proteins from the Bcl-2 family and differences in the ratio between pro and antiapoptotic proteins, suggesting that apoptosis may be one of the mechanisms involved in CD pathophysiology. Furthermore, defective apoptosis in immune cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils, has been reported. Whether the thickening of MAT acts as a barrier to the inflammatory process, or is a secondary factor that maintains the inflammatory process, resulting in the transmural aspect of CD, is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the potential contribution of apoptosis in accumulation of MAT, as well as the relationship between altered apoptosis in MAT and in intestinal tissue involved by CD. To do this, we detected apoptotic DNA strand breaks using the TUNEL assay, in addition to analyzing the transcriptional and protein expressions of selected molecules, to determine the pathways potentially involved in altered apoptosis. Although phenotypic variation occurs in CD patients, some common macroscopic aspects can be observed, especially with regard to the thickening of the MAT close to the affected intestinal area. This feature is not seen in patients with UC who develop a superficial inflammatory process in the intestinal wall that is usually restricted to the intestinal mucosa and submucosa layers. The adipose tissue is considered an important endocrine organ, responsible for the production and release of hormones and cytokines.