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Parameters of intestinal inflammation in mice given graded infections of the nematode Trichinella spiralis.

Four parameters of the intestinal inflammatory response (numbers of mucosal mast cells (MMC) and Paneth cells, villus:crypt ratios and mitotic figures) were measured in mice exposed to varying doses of infective larvae of Trichinella spiralis. The aim of the experiments was to determine whether generation of these components of inflammation required a threshold level of infection and whether, once triggered, inflammation became pan-mucosal. Near maximal MMC and Paneth cell responses were elicited even with infections as low as 35 larvae; changes in villus:crypt ratios and in mitotic indices also occurred at this level of infection, but were progressively greater with increasing levels of infection. In all infected mice, including those infected with 35 larvae, MMC and Paneth cell responses extended over most of the small intestine. These data are interpreted as showing: (i) that the intestinal mucosa is highly responsive to T. spiralis infection; (ii) that once triggered, components of the inflammatory response are amplified by T cell-dependent mechanisms, becoming pan-mucosal; and (iii) that MMC and Paneth cell responses, which require cell division and differentiation, become maximal at a lower infection threshold than changes in the villus:crypt ratio or in mitotic indices, which directly reflect increased rates of division in crypt cells.

Animals↗

Intestinal inflammation reduces expression of DRA, a transporter responsible for congenital chloride diarrhea.

The pathogenesis of diarrhea in intestinal inflammatory states is a multifactorial process involving the effects of inflammatory mediators on epithelial transport function. The effect of colonic inflammation on the gene expression of DRA (downregulated in adenoma), a chloride-sulfate anion transporter that is mutated in patients with congenital chloridorrhea, was examined in vivo as well as in an intestinal epithelial cell line. DRA mRNA expression was diminished five- to sevenfold in the HLA-B27/beta2m transgenic rat compared with control. In situ hybridization showed that DRA, which is normally expressed in the upper crypt and surface epithelium of the colon, was dramatically reduced in the surface epithelium of the HLA-B27/beta2m transgenic rat, the interleukin-10 (IL-10) knockout mouse with spontaneous colitis, and in patients with ulcerative colitis. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that mRNA expression of DRA reflected that of protein expression in vivo. IL-1beta reduced DRA mRNA expression in vitro by inhibiting gene transcription. The loss of transport function in the surface epithelium of the colon by attenuation of transporter gene expression, perhaps inhibited at the level of gene transcription by proinflammatory cytokines, may play a role in the pathogenesis of diarrhea in colitis.

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Glutamine attenuates leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion in indomethacin-induced intestinal inflammation in the rat.

BACKGROUND: Glutamine (Gln) is a major energy source for the intestinal mucosa. Its depletion results in epithelial atrophy and in bacterial translocation. Clinical substitution of this nonessential amino acid in critically ill persons results in a reduction of epithelial atrophy and in an accelerated recovery. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of Gln on leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction in an indomethacin (Indo)-induced long-lasting ileitis in Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: Indo (7.5 mg/kg subcutaneously) was injected at time 0 and 24 hours later. Animals were fed with standard rat chow (ST) for 10 days until 12 hours before intravital microscopy analysis. Gln (3 g/kg body wt) was gavaged twice a day in the morning 4 hours apart (1) for 10 days between Indo administration and the experiment (ST/Gln, therapy), (2) for 14 days before Indo (Gln/ST, prophylaxis), or (3) from 14 days before Indo until the experiment (Gln/Gln, prophylaxis and therapy). Ten mesenteric venules (30 microm diameter) per animal (n = 5 per group) were observed using intravital microscopy, and the following parameters were monitored: number of adherent and emigrated leukocytes, leukocyte rolling velocity, erythrocyte velocity, venular blood flow, and shear rate. Macroscopically visible injury was scored 0 to 5. RESULTS: Ten days after Indo treatment the macroscopic score was 3.5+/-0.4 vs. 0.6+/-0.2 of controls, and leukocyte adherence and emigration were increased (2.2-fold and 3.3-fold vs. control, respectively), whereas leukocyte rolling velocity and venular wall shear rate were reduced (both parameters to 81% of control). Glutamine prophylaxis, therapy, and the combination of both significantly attenuated macroscopic damage and prevented the microcirculatory disturbances to a similar extent. The beneficial effects of glutamine were accompanied by a normalization of fecal pH to control level, which had been lowered by Indo treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The long-lasting Indo-induced ileitis was accompanied by macroscopic ulceration and microcirculatory disturbances. Oral therapy and prophylaxis with glutamine reduced macroscopic and microcirculatory inflammatory activity, indicating a special demand for glutamine in this type of inflammation.

Animals↗

Cytokines and growth factor modulators in intestinal inflammation and repair.

Breakdown in gastrointestinal mucosal integrity may be due to increased aggressive factors, including an excessive inflammatory response, decreased mucosal defence or a combination of the two. Our understanding of the control processes underlying these changes has rapidly expanded over the last decade and it is becoming clear that rather than being distinct elements, inflammation and repair are interrelated processes mediated by common cytokines and growth factors, with the division of factors as being a cytokine or a growth factor being somewhat artificial. The use of biological therapies, such as antibodies that cause receptor blockade or administering recombinant growth factors, has now progressed from the laboratory to the clinical arena. This review summarizes current thoughts on the use of these factors in general, but with particular emphasis on inflammatory bowel disease.

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Clinical and subclinical intestinal inflammation assessed by the mucosal patch technique: studies of mucosal neutrophil and eosinophil activation in inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is a clear need for a rapid, simple, safe, and sensitive method of determining the type and intensity of inflammation in the gut mucosa in clinical practice. In this study, we have evaluated the potential of a new method, the mucosal patch technique, in patients with and without apparent gut inflammation, as assessed by conventional diagnostic procedures. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The technique tested is based on the idea that inflammatory mediators released from the rectal mucosa can be absorbed by and then extracted from cellulose patches brought into contact with the mucosa by use of an instrument with an inflatable balloon. Measurements were performed in healthy controls (n = 16) and in patients with active (n = 19) and inactive ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 8), collagen colitis (CC, n = 12), coeliac disease (n = 13), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, n = 13). RESULTS: Inflammatory mediators from neutrophils (myeloperoxidase (MPO)) and eosinophils (eosinophil cationic protein (ECP)) were increased on average 300- and 10-fold, respectively, in patients with active UC compared with healthy controls and were correlated with the endoscopic score. Patients with inactive UC, CC, coeliac disease, and IBS exhibited no endoscopic signs of inflammation. These patient groups had significantly lower levels of MPO and ECP than the active UC group but showed on average a four- to sevenfold increase in MPO compared with healthy controls. CONCLUSION: The mucosal patch technique was well tolerated by patients and easily applied by the investigator. Pronounced neutrophil and eosinophil involvement in UC was demonstrated. With the high sensitivity of the technique, low degree mucosal neutrophil activation could also be quantified in patients with CC and UC in clinical remission. The finding of increased neutrophil involvement in patients with IBS contributes to the pathophysiological ideas of this disease.

Adult↗

Disruption of sulphated glycosaminoglycans in intestinal inflammation.

We have studied the distribution and nature of sulphated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) within normal and inflamed intestine. There is increasing evidence that these negatively charged polysaccharides, which both regulate the ability of albumin to leave the vasculature and inhibit thrombosis, may be affected by inflammatory cells and their products. We obtained samples of freshly resected intestinal tissue from eight controls, eleven patients with Crohn's disease, and six with ulcerative colitis. Sulphated GAGs were detected by means of a gold-conjugated poly-L-lysine probe, and the tissue density of anionic sites was assessed semiquantitatively by means of a Lennox graticule. In normal intestine there was staining in the vascular endothelium and the subepithelial basal lamina and throughout the extracellular matrix of the lamina propria and submucosa. Tissue from the patients with inflammatory bowel disease showed inflammation macroscopically and on histology. There were profound abnormalities of extracellular matrix GAGs, limited to the mucosa in ulcerative colitis and greatest in the submucosa in Crohn's disease. There was also substantial loss of GAGs from the subepithelial basal lamina in both disorders and from the vascular endothelium in submucosa in Crohn's disease. The extent of local GAG disruption was associated with the distribution of macrophages immunoreactive for tumour necrosis factor alpha and the activation marker RM 3/1. We suggest that inflammatory disruption of vascular and connective tissue GAGs may be an important pathogenetic mechanism, contributing to the leakage of protein and fluid, thrombosis, and tissue remodelling seen in inflammatory bowel disease.

Adolescent↗

Opposite effect of oxidative stress on inducible nitric oxide synthase and haem oxygenase-1 expression in intestinal inflammation: anti-inflammatory effect of carbon monoxide.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is expressed in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) of patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in IEC of endotoxaemic rats. The induction of iNOS in IEC is an element of the NF-kappaB-mediated survival pathway. Haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an AP-1-regulated gene that is induced by oxidative stress. The enzyme produces carbon monoxide (CO), which may attenuate the inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to investigate the regulation and interaction of iNOS and HO-1 in response to inflammation and oxidative stress. Male Wistar rats were treated with the thiol-modifying agent diethylmaleate (DEM) to induce oxidative stress and rendered endotoxaemic by LPS injection. Human colonic biopsies and the human colon carcinoma cell line DLD-1 were treated with DEM and the lipid peroxidation end-product 4-hydroxynonenal to induce oxidative stress and exposed to cytokine mix (CM) to mimic inflammation. In some experiments, cells were incubated with 250-400 ppm CO prior to and during stimulation with CM. HO-1 and iNOS expression was evaluated by RT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistology. NF-kappaB activation was evaluated by EMSA. LPS induced iNOS but not HO-1 in epithelial cells of the ileum and colon. Oxidative stress strongly induced HO-1 in epithelial and inflammatory cells. Combined oxidative stress and endotoxaemia decreased iNOS expression but strongly induced HO-1 expression. Similarly, CM induced iNOS but not HO-1 in colonic biopsies and DLD-1 cells. Oxidative stress prevented iNOS induction in an NF-kappaB-dependent manner but increased HO-1 expression in CM-exposed DLD-1 cells. CO inhibited iNOS mRNA induction in CM-stimulated DLD-1 cells. These data demonstrate opposite regulation of iNOS and HO-1 in intestinal epithelial cells in response to cytokine exposure and oxidative stress. These findings suggest that iNOS (NF-kappaB driven) and HO-1 (AP-1 driven) represent mutually exclusive survival mechanisms in intestinal epithelial cells.

Animals↗

Suppressor of cytokine signalling 1 in lymphocytes regulates the development of intestinal inflammation in mice.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines produced by intestinal T cells induces inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, the importance of regulation of cytokine signalling in IBD has not been fully clarified. We have demonstrated that suppressor of cytokine signalling 1 (SOCS1) is expressed in inflamed tissues in an experimental colitis model. In the present study, we investigated the role of SOCS1 in colitis models to clarify the mechanism of IBD development. METHODS: Intestinal T cells in transgenic mice expressing high levels of SOCS1 in lymphocytes (SOCS1Tg mice) were characterised by flow cytometric analysis and cytokine production from intestinal T cells was determined by ELISA. 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) induced colitis was induced in SOCS1Tg mice and severity was compared with control littermates by measurement of survival rates. Intracellular signalling was assessed by western blotting analysis. RESULTS: SOCS1Tg mice developed colitis spontaneously with age. Young SOCS1Tg mice less than 15 weeks of age, before the onset of colitis, were susceptible to TNBS induced colitis. Intestinal T cells of SOCS1Tg mice showed increased interferon gamma and tumour necrosis factor alpha production and decreased transforming growth factor beta production. Expression of cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), a negative regulator of T cell activation, in SOCS1Tg mice was severely impaired at the protein level although mRNA levels of CTLA-4 in SOCS1Tg mice were comparable with those in control mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that SOCS1 plays an important role in the regulation of colitis by controlling intestinal T cell activation mediated through CTLA-4 expression.

Animals↗

Induction of intestinal inflammation in mouse by activation of proteinase-activated receptor-2.

Proteinase-activated receptor (PAR)-2, a G-protein-coupled receptor for trypsin and mast cell tryptase, is highly expressed in the intestine. Luminal trypsin and tryptase are elevated in the colon of inflammatory bowel disease patients. We hypothesized that luminal proteinases activate PAR-2 and induce colonic inflammation. Mice received intracolonically PAR-2 agonists (trypsin, tryptase, and a selective PAR-2-activating peptide) or control drugs (boiled enzymes, inactive peptide) and inflammatory parameters were followed at various times after this treatment. Colonic administration of PAR-2 agonists up-regulated PAR-2 expression and induced an inflammatory reaction characterized by granulocyte infiltration, increased wall thickness, tissue damage, and elevated T-helper cell type 1 cytokine. The inflammation was maximal between 4 and 6 hours and was resolved 48 hours after the intracolonic administration. PAR-2 activation also increased paracellular permeability of the colon and induced bacterial trans-location into peritoneal organs. These proinflammatory and pathophysiological changes observed in wild-type mice were not detected in PAR-2-deficient mice. Luminal proteinases activate PAR-2 in the mouse colon to induce inflammation and disrupt the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Because trypsin and tryptase are found at high levels in the colon lumen of patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, our data may bear directly on the pathophysiology of human inflammatory bowel diseases.

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Effects of NT on gastrointestinal motility and secretion, and role in intestinal inflammation.

It is well established that interactions of neuropeptides with several cell types at various parts of the intestine are critically involved in intestinal pathophysiology. Among them, neurotensin has been identified as an important mediator in the development and progress of several gastrointestinal functions and disease conditions, exerting its effects by interacting with specific receptors that exert direct and indirect effects on nerves, epithelial cells, and cells of the immune and inflammatory systems. This review summarizes our recent understanding on the participation of neurotensin in the physiology and pathophysiology of the small and large intestine, and discusses various mechanisms that could be involved in these actions.

Animals↗

Chronic intestinal inflammation and angiogenesis in genetically susceptible rats is modulated by kininogen deficiency.

Genetically susceptible Lewis rats injected in the intestinal wall with peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-APS) polymers develop chronic granulomatous enterocolitis associated with activation of the kallikrein-kinin system. To elucidate the role of high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK), we backcrossed Brown Norway rats having an HK deficiency with Lewis rats for five generations. Two new strains were produced, wild-type F5 (F5WT) and HK deficient (F5HKd), each with a approximately 97% Lewis genome. The HK values of F5WT rat plasma and F5HKd rat plasma were 0.62 +/- 0.20 and 0.08 +/- 0.03 U/ml, respectively. Among the inflammatory changes, the mean gross gut, total intestinal histologic and liver granuloma score and the white blood count were significantly lower in the F5HKd than the F5WT rats. Plasma T-kininogen was significantly less in F5HKd. Angiogenesis (mean vascular density) in the cecum was decreased significantly in F5HKd compared to F5WT. These results indicate the importance of the kallikrein-kinin system in this model of chronic enterocolitis and systemic inflammation.

Animals↗

[Significance of intestinal inflammation in the pathogenesis of spondylarthropathies].

The concept of spondylarthropathy (SpA) gathers together a group of chronic diseases with common clinical, biological, genetic and therapeutic characteristics. The concept forms a distinct entity, different from other rheumatic diseases. The target organs are not only the joint, but also the axial skeleton, the enthesis, the eye, the gut, the urogenital tract, the skin and sometimes the heart. The prevalence of this entity in the general population is estimated 1%, equal to the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis. Genetical predisposition (HLA-B27) is one of the clues to the pathogenesis of the disease. Since reactive arthritis is induced by specific urogenital or enterogenic bacteria, and since the gut is implied in different forms of spondylarthropathies, especially in IBD, it was clear that the gut could play an important role by permitting exogenous factors to enter the body. This hypothesis was the rationale for investigating the gut in the spondylarthropathies by performing ileo-colonoscopies. In the first ileo-colonoscopic studies of SpA patients, histological signs of gut inflammation were found in a relatively great number of patients, mostly not presenting any clinical intestinal manifestations. These lesions were not seen in other inflammatory joint diseases. Further ileo-colonoscopic studies confirmed the strong relationship between gut and joint inflammation. In patients in whom a second ileo-colonoscopy was performed, remission of the joint inflammation was always connected with a disappearance of the gut inflammation, whereas persistence of locomotor inflammation was mostly associated to the persistence of gut inflammation. The hypothesis was proposed that some patients with a spondylarthropathy had a form of subclinical Crohn's disease in which the locomotor inflammation was the only clinical expression. This hypothesis was confirmed in prospective long-term studies in which the ileo-colonoscopied patients were reviewed 2 to 9 years later:about 6% of SpA patients not presenting any sign of Crohn's disease at first investigation but demonstrating gut inflammation on biopsy, developed full-blown Crohn's disease. By performing electronmicroscopy it was described that in patients with SpA the number of membranous (M) cells, which are scarce in normal ileum, is increased in number in inflamed mucosa. They showed a thin rim of cytoplasm covering groups of lymphocytes. In chronic inflammatory lesions necrotic M-cells, rupture of M-cells and lymphocytes entering the gut lumen was observed. The bursting of M-cells at the top of the lymphoid follicles leads to interruption of the gut epithelial lining and gives the luminal content access to the lymphoid tissue. This can be responsible for an exponential increase of local antigen stimulation. Accelerated luminal antigen presentation through a break in the epithelial layer, together with cytokines released from activated monocytes, might induce a second line of defense aiming at elimination of the massive antigen penetration into the mucosa. The postulated switch from secretory local immunity to a systemic type of local immune reaction could have different consequences:the local down-regulation of J chain in the IgA immunocytes could shift the production of polymeric IgA to monomers, jeopardizing secretory immunity; the disproportionate increase of IgG-producing cells could favor further inflammation and tissue damage through complement activation and arming of the killer cells, and cause autoimmune responses locally and in target organs at a distance (e.g. joint organs). The discovery of subclinical gut inflammation in the SpA had therapeutic consequences. Sulphasalazine (SASP) has been proven to be an active drug in the treatment of IBD. Since the gut could play a crucial role in SpA, it was logic to use this drug in the treatment of this disease. Multiple open and double-blind studies have proven the effectiveness of this drug in SpA.

Animals↗

Regulatory T cells suppress systemic and mucosal immune activation to control intestinal inflammation.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the main interface where the body encounters exogenous antigens. It is crucial that the local response here is tightly regulated to avoid an immune reaction against dietary antigens and commensal flora while still mounting an efficient defense against pathogens. Faults in establishing intestinal tolerance can lead to disease, inducing local and often also systemic inflammation. Studies in human as well as in animal models suggest a role for regulatory T cells (Tregs) in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Transfer of Tregs can not only prevent the development of colitis in animal models but also cure established disease, acting both systemically and at the site of inflammation. In this review, we discuss the major regulatory pathways, including transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), and their role in Treg-mediated control of systemic and mucosal responses. In addition, we give an overview of the known mechanisms of lymphocyte migration to the intestine and discuss how CD103 expression can influence the balance between regulatory and effector T cells. Further understanding of the factors that control the activity of Tregs in different immune compartments may facilitate the design of strategies to target regulation in a tissue-specific way.

Animals↗

Effect of intestinal inflammation on capsaicin-sensitive afferents in the ileum of Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice.

In the present study, the effect of intestinal schistosomiasis on the extrinsic sensory innervation of the murine ileum was investigated. Immunocytochemical techniques to localize calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), and vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) were combined with retrograde tracing techniques and capsaicin treatment. Neurochemical characterization of extrinsic primary afferent neurons (EPANs) in normal and capsaicin-treated mice, revealed that CGRP and VR1, but not SP, were expressed in extrinsic afferents. Immunocytochemical analysis using the above-mentioned antibodies yielded three different populations of neurons in both dorsal root and nodose ganglia, namely CGRP/--, SP/--, and CGRP/SP-expressing neurons. Retrograde tracing revealed that only CGRP/--expressing neurons projected to the ileum. Intestinal schistosomiasis resulted in an upregulation of the number of CGRP-immunoreactive (ir) nerve fibers in the lamina propria of the villi, coinciding with an increase in mucosal mast cells in acutely and chronically infected animals. In infected animals, mucosal mast cells were found closely associated with a dense mucosal CGRP-ir fiber network. Neonatal capsaicin treatment led to a 70% reduction in the number of mucosal mast cells. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that CGRP is a valid marker for EPANs in the mouse ileum, which are involved in the recruitment of mucosal mast cells. Morphological evidence is provided of a neuroimmune interaction between mucosal mast cells and EPANs in schistosoma-infected mice.

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