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Chemically induced mouse models of intestinal inflammation

Nature Protocols volume 2, pages 541–546 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Animal models of intestinal inflammation are indispensable for our understanding of the pathogenesis of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease in humans. Here, we provide protocols for establishing murine 2,4,6-trinitro benzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-, oxazolone- and both acute and chronic dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitis, the most widely used chemically induced models of intestinal inflammation. In the former two models, colitis is induced by intrarectal administration of the covalently reactive reagents TNBS/oxazolone, which are believed to induce a T-cell-mediated response against hapten-modified autologous proteins/luminal antigens. In the DSS model, mice are subjected several days to drinking water supplemented with DSS, which seems to be directly toxic to colonic epithelial cells of the basal crypts. The procedures for the hapten models of colitis and acute DSS colitis can be accomplished in about 2 weeks but the protocol for chronic DSS colitis takes about 2 months.

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Figure 1: C57BL/6 mice were subjected to the TNBS or oxazolone colitis protocol as described in the text.
Figure 2: Acute DSS colitis C57BL/6 mice were subjected to the DSS colitis protocol as described in the text.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Immunology, I Medical Clinic, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

    Stefan Wirtz, Clemens Neufert, Benno Weigmann & Markus F Neurath

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  1. Stefan Wirtz
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Correspondence to Markus F Neurath.

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Wirtz, S., Neufert, C., Weigmann, B. et al. Chemically induced mouse models of intestinal inflammation. Nat Protoc 2, 541–546 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2007.41

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