Allyl isothiocyanate (
AITC) is a
phytochemical found in cruciferous vegetables that has known chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activities. Thus far, the antiangiogenic activity of
AITC has not been reported in in vivo studies. Herein, we investigated the effect of
AITC on angiogenesis and
inflammation in a mouse model of
colitis. Experimental
colitis was induced in mice by administering 3%
dextran sulfate sodium via
drinking water. To monitor the activity of
AITC in this model, we measured
body weight, disease activity indices, histopathological scores, microvascular density,
myeloperoxidase activity, F4/80 staining,
inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression,
cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, and
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF)-A/
VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expression in the mice. We found that
AITC-treated mice showed less
weight loss, fewer clinical signs of
colitis, and longer colons than vehicle-treated mice.
AITC treatment also significantly lessened the disruption of colonic architecture that is normally associated with
colitis and repressed the microvascularization response. Further,
AITC treatment reduced both leukocyte recruitment and macrophage infiltration into the inflamed colon, and the mechanism these activities involved repressing iNOS and COX-2 expression. Finally,
AITC attenuated the expression of
VEGF-A and VEGFR2. Thus,
AITC may have potential application in treating conditions marked by inflammatory-driven angiogenesis and mucosal
inflammation.