title: Intestinal blood flow in murine colitis induced with dextran sulfate sodium.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess whether colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS; 10% in tap water for 7 days) in BALB/c mice is associated with changes in intestinal blood flow. After anaesthesia, systemic hemodynamic variable and regional blood flows and resistances in various organs were measured in both control and DSS-treated mice. Mean arterial blood pressure was significantly lower in DSS-treated mice than in controls (56 +/- 4 vs 66 +/- 3 mm Hg; P < 0.05), but no differences were found in regional blood flows to or vascular resistances in the lungs, liver, stomach, small intestine (upper, middle, and lower part), cecum, mesentery + pancreas, spleen, kidneys, brain, and skin. However, compared to the control mice, blood flows in the middle (0.88 +/- 0.13 vs 0.55 +/- 0.09 ml/min/g; P < 0.05) and distal (0.69 +/- 0.11 vs 0.29 +/- 0.05 ml/min/g; P < 0.05) colon were significantly higher, and vascular resistances in the proximal (0.87 +/- 0.21 vs 1.36 +/- 0.21 mm Hg min/ml/100 g; P < 0.05), middle (0.60 +/- 0.10 vs 1.46 +/- 0.35 mm Hg min/ml 100 g; P < 0.05) as well as distal (0.90 +/- 0.25 vs 2.67 +/- 0.49 mm Hg min/ml/100 g; P < 0.05) colon were significantly lower in mice with experimental colitis. Interestingly, there was a gradient in the intestinal blood flow in control mice from the upper small intestine (2.79 +/- 0.72 ml/min/g) down to the distal colon (0.29 +/- 0.05 ml/min/g); such a gradient was also present in the colitis mice. It is concluded that DSS-induced colitis in mice is associated with microcirculatory disturbances in the colon, mainly in its middle and distal parts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ingrid M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Garrelds
authors.forename: Jan P C
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Heiligers
authors.forename: Marieke E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Van Meeteren
authors.forename: Dirk-Jan G M
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Duncker
authors.forename: Pramod R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: Maarten A C
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Meijssen
authors.forename: Frederik J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Zijlstra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003092:Colitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003106:Colon / Q000098:blood supply*; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; D005260:Female; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000098:blood supply; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016264:Dextran Sulfate