Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapies and Gut Function in a Colitis Mouse Model
Figure 6
Mucosal gene expression of tight junction structural proteins, MIP-2, LIX, TNF-α, and MLCK in male and female C57BL/6 mice. RNA from the colon of each mouse was extracted and subjected to RT-PCR. (a) Gene expression levels following 2-week treatment or no treatment (noninfected controls); (b) gene expression levels following 4-week treatment (or 3-week treatment for the HC group) or no treatment. mRNA expression of occludin, claudin-1 and ZO-1 in the infected control mice were significantly decreased after infection with H. trogontum (weeks 2 and 4: versus noninfected controls for all comparisons), while MIP-2, LIX, TNF-α, and MLCK gene expressions were upregulated (weeks 2 and 4: versus noninfected controls for all the comparisons). Administration of EEN, MNZ, EEN + MNZ to the infected mice abrogated any effects of H. trogontum as mRNA expression levels of genes associated with tight junctions, MIP-2, LIX, TNF-α, and MLCK were similar to that of the noninfected controls (week 2 and 4: and versus infected controls for all the comparisons). However, HC only partially downregulated transcription of MIP-2, LIX, and TNF-α (weeks 2 and 3: versus infected controls for all comparisons) with a slight rise in gene expression of occludin, claudin-1, and ZO-1 (weeks 2 and 3: versus infected controls for all comparisons). In addition, HC failed to decrease the gene expression levels of MLCK to those of the noninfected controls, even after 3 weeks (weeks 2 and 3: versus infected controls for both comparisons). NS: not significant; . MIP-2: macrophage inflammatory protein 2; LIX: lipopolysaccharide-induced CXC chemokine; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor α; MLCK: myosin light chain kinase; ZO: zonula occludens; IL-8: interleukin-8; Ct: cycle threshold; HC: hydrocortisone; EEN: exclusive enteral nutrition; MNZ: metronidazole.
