title: A protective effect of the synthetic coumarine derivative Cloricromene against DNB-colitis in the rat.
abstract: Biologic therapies, namely antibodies against tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- alpha) or its receptors, have been recently introduced for the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the present study the effects of cloricromene, an agent with known antithrombotic actions and with demonstrated anti-TNF- alpha activity were investigated in a rat model of experimental colitis induced with dinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (DNB)/ethanol. We investigated three experimental groups: (i) sham-colitis with vehicle-treatment (controls, n = 6), (ii) colitis with vehicle-treatment (saline, 0.1 ml s.c., daily) (DNB-V, n = 7), (iii) colitis with cloricromene-treatment (10 mg/kg/day s.c.; DNB-C, n = 8). After 7 days, the weight gain, colon wet weight, macroscopic damage score, coagulation parameters, colon mucosal myeloperoxidase activity (MPO), and tissue concentrations of TNF- alpha and of macrophage inhibitory peptide-2 (MIP-2) were assessed. The macroscopic damage scores, colon wet weights, and tissue MIP-2 levels were significantly increased in untreated and in cloricromene-treated rats compared with controls. Cloricromene treatment was associated with a minor body weight loss (p < 0.025) and significantly reduced tissue concentrations of MPO and TNF-alpha (p < 0.02, both). Blood coagulation parameters were not affected by treatment. In the DNB-model treatment with cloricromene effectively reduces tissue levels of TNF- alpha and of myeloperoxidase, whereas MIP-2 concentrations were not influenced. Blood coagulation parameters remained unchanged indicating safety of treatment. Since biological therapies frequently fail to improve disease course of IBD, other therapies with similar targets should be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Terapia Medica, Università di Messina, Italy. walter.fries@flashnet.it
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fries
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazzon
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sturiale
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Giofré
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lo Presti
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuzzocrea
authors.forename: Giuseppe M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.forename: Achille P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Caputi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Giacomo C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Sturniolo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001557:Benzenesulfonates; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D002866:Chromonar / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003092:Colitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D015846:Monokines / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001557:Benzenesulfonates; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D015846:Monokines; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C007488:dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid; C025945:cloricromen; D009195:Peroxidase; D002866:Chromonar