Adrenal-Derived Hormones Differentially Modulate Intestinal Immunity in Experimental Colitis

Figure 5

Adrenal-derived glucocorticoid is one of the key players in the control of intestinal inflammation. C57BL/6 mice were adrenalectomized and exposed to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) 3%. After surgery, a group of mice was treated i.p. with 1 mg/Kg/day of dexamethasone from the 3rd to the 5th day of colitis, for replacement of GC, as described in Material and Methods. The colon was collected on the 6th day of colitis for histological analysis (a and b): (a) erosion lesions; (b) histological score; (c) intestinal corticosterone levels; (d) IFN-γ; and (e) FasL levels. DSS: C57BL/6 mice exposed to DSS; ADX + DSS: C57BL/6 adrenalectomized mice exposed to DSS. ADX + DSS + GC: C57BL/6 adrenalectomized mice exposed to DSS and treated with dexamethasone. The dotted lines correspond to the control group of C57BL/6 mice without colitis. Results are representative of two independent experiments, with 5 mice/group. .

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