Kinetics of cytokine expression during healing of acute colitis in
mice.
Dieleman, Levinus A., Charles O. Elson, Gary S. Tennyson, and Kenneth
W. Beagley.
Departments of Medicine and Pathology, University of Alabama at
Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 and Department of Gastroenterology,
Free University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
APStracts 3:0049G, 1996.
Background: The mechanisms of wound healing in the gut are poorly
understood, but are mediated by cytokines in other tissues. In this
study we asked which cytokines were expressed after non-specific
colonic injury, the kinetics of that expression and how cytokine
expression correlated with tissue histology. Methods: At 0, 4, 8, 12,
24, 48 and 72 hours after intrarectal administration of 3% acetic
acid to C3H/HeJ mice their colons were removed for histology, organ
culture and RNA extraction. Cytokine mRNA expression for various
cytokines was assessed by the reverse transcription/ polymerase chain
reaction using primers specific for each cytokine. Cytokine
production in organ cultures was measured using bioassays. Results:
Shortly after colonic injury and during colonic regeneration pro
-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1[beta] (IL-1[beta]),
interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] (TNF-[alpha]),
macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) and transforming growth factor
-[beta] (TGF-[beta]) were expressed. In contrast, expression of T
cell-derived cytokines was not detected at any time point.
Conclusion: Cytokines such as IL-1[beta], IL-6, IL-10, TNF[alpha] and
MIP-1, are important mediators of tissue repair and restitution after
non-specific colonic injury and may subserve a similar role in human
colitis.
Received 23 March 1995; accepted in final form 16 February 1996.
APS Manuscript Number G124-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Gastrointest. Liver
Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 13 March 96