Oxazolone-induced colitis in BALB/C mice: a new method to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic agents for ulcerative colitis.

Abstract

A number of experimental models of colitis have been proposed. However, few studies have presented T helper-2 (Th-2) type colitis models that substitute for human ulcerative colitis (UC). In recent years, the murine oxazolone (OXA)-induced colitis model came to be accepted as a Th-2 type model, but it has yet to be used in any pharmacological study. In the present study, we modified the OXA-induced colitis model in BALB/C mice to evaluate the efficacy of treatments for UC. Colitis was induced by intrarectal administration of OXA solution (7.5 mg/mL in 40% ethanol) in a BALB/C strain that is known to favor Th-2 immune responses. A lower mortality rate was obtained in the BALB/C strain than was found in the original method. Histological examination showed that there were morphological similarities to human UC. Increased mRNA expression of interleukin-13, a Th-2 cytokine, was observed in mesenteric lymph nodes. Intrarectal administration of 5-aminosalicylic acid or sodium prednisolone phosphate resulted in a significant improvement in the colitis. These results suggest that the OXA-induced colitis model in the BALB/C strain provides a new way to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic agents for UC.

• Authors: Ryotaro Kojima, Satoko Kuroda, Tomiko Ohkishi, Koichi Nakamaru, Shigeki Hatakeyama
• Journal: Journal of pharmacological sciences (J Pharmacol Sci) Vol. 96 Issue 3 Pg. 307-13 (Nov 2004) ISSN: 1347-8613 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 15539761 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Oxazolone
• Mesalamine
• Prednisolone

Topics

• Animals
• Colitis (chemically induced, pathology)
• Colitis, Ulcerative (chemically induced, drug therapy, pathology)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Drug Evaluation, Preclinical (methods)
• Male
• Mesalamine (therapeutic use)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Oxazolone (toxicity)
• Prednisolone (therapeutic use)