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Dextran sulphate sodium-induced colitis is ameliorated in interleukin 4 deficient mice

Genes & Immunity volume 2, pages 309–316 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

The importance of IL-4 and its effects in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was studied using the dextran sulphate sodium-induced model of experimental colitis. The model resembles ulcerative colitis in humans. IL-4 deficient mice and IL-4+/+ littermates were used to induce colitis. Activity of disease, extent of tissue damage, immunoglobulin isotypes, IFNγ and IL-10 production was assessed. Both disease activity index (DAI) and histological scores were consistently lower in the IL-4 deficient mice than in the IL-4+/+ littermates. Furthermore, the lower histological scores reflected the milder inflammatory lesions and decreased ulceration found in the IL-4 deficient mice. Analysis of immunoglobulin subtypes showed that IgG1 was almost absent in the sera of IL-4 deficient mice. IFNγ contents was much higher in colonic tissues from IL-4 deficient mice. Dextran sulphate sodium-induced colitis is ameliorated in IL-4 deficient mice. IL-4 either directly or through its effects on T and B cells influences its severity. It is unclear if the higher immunoglobulin-producing cells in the colonic tissues of IL-4 deficient mice before colitis was induced could have influenced the outcome of the disease. The high IFNγ contents in colonic tissues of IL-4 deficient mice argue against the role of this cytokine as a crucial mediator of tissue damage during the acute phase of colitis.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr Andrzej Wozniak for his tremendous support and Aulikki Koskinnen from the Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, John Curtin School of Medical Research that performed ELISA for immunoglobulins in the serum. We are very grateful to Prof Owen Dent from The Australian National University for his advice on the statistical analysis of the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Molecular Medicine, John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU, Canberra, 2601, ACT, Australia

    L Stevceva, P Pavli & WF Doe

  2. Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU, Canberra, 2601, ACT, Australia

    A Husband

  3. Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Pathology, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    A Ramsay

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  1. L Stevceva
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  2. P Pavli
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  3. A Husband
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  4. A Ramsay
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  5. WF Doe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L Stevceva.

Additional information

Part of this work has been presented at The Annual Gastroenterology Meeting in San Francisco, California and was published as an abstract in Gastroenterology 1996; 110: 4:A1019.

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Stevceva, L., Pavli, P., Husband, A. et al. Dextran sulphate sodium-induced colitis is ameliorated in interleukin 4 deficient mice . Genes Immun 2, 309–316 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6363782

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