Intestinal trefoil factor (ITF) has been proved to be effective in treatment of
ulcerative colitis. However, the mechanisms of it remain unclear. In this study, we observed the effects of combined treatment with
5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and recombinant human ITF (rhITF) on the expression of
Myeloperoxidase (MPO), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and
epidermal growth factor (
EGF) in trinitrobenzene sulphonic
acid (TNBS) induced
colitis in rats. Forty Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats which were induced to distal
colitis by the colonic administration of TNBS, were randomly divided into four groups and colonically treated with
normal saline (A), 5-ASA (B), rhITF (C), respectively. The macroscopic and histological changes of the colon, activities of MPO, expressions of serum
EGF and tissue NF-κB were detected. The results showed that manifestation, colonic damage score and MPO activities of the rats treated with 5-ASA or/and rhITFs were improved, serum
EGF production was augmented and expression of tissue NF-κB was down-regulated. Single usage of 5-ASA or rhITF had no significant difference, but combined using of them had more significant and noticeable effects compared to any single treatment. It could be concluded that topical treatment with 5-ASA and rhITF had beneficial effects in treating TNBS-induced
colitis of rats and combined treatment was better than single treatment. It was possibly related to suppression of neutrophil infiltration, down-regulation expression of NF-κB and up-regulation expression of
EGF.