The responses of peripheral blood monocytes from CD patients, which mimics the CD14 positive cells found in IBD mucosa [28], to a conjugate of LPS and the ubiquitous food additive TiO2, in the presence of an ion bridge, (the LPS-Ca2+-TiO2 conjugate) were compared with monocytes obtained from normal healthy volunteer donors. Here, CD14 is linked to Cowden disease.