Ulcerative colitis is a chronic
gastrointestinal disorder eliciting the risk of
colorectal cancer, the third most common
malignancy in humans. The present study was aimed to characterize
dextran sulfate sodium-induced
ulcerative colitis and to elucidate its influence on the bone marrow cell proliferation and the subsequent stimulation of the systemic genotoxicity in mice. Experimental
colitis was induced in Swiss mice using 3% (w/v)
dextran sulfate sodium in
drinking water. The severity of
colitis was assessed on the basis of clinical signs, colon length, oxidative stress parameters, various pro-inflammatory markers, histopathological evaluation and immunohistochemical staining of
8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine in the colon of
dextran sulfate sodium treated mice. Further, assessment of genotoxicity was carried out using alkaline and modified comet assays in the colon and lymphocytes and micronucleus assay in the peripheral blood of mice. For the evaluation of
inflammation-induced cell proliferation in the bone marrow,
proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunostaining was carried out in the bone marrow of mice.
Dextran sulfate sodium induced severe
colitis as evident from the elevated disease activity index, reduced colon length, increased oxidative stress, histological abnormalities and oxidative DNA damage in the colon of mice. Moreover,
colitis-induced elevated prostaglandin-E2 level in the plasma of
dextran sulfate sodium treated mice stimulated the cell proliferation in the bone marrow, which further triggered
colitis-induced DNA damage in the peripheral blood of mice.