title: Prevention of chronic experimental colitis induced by dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) in mice treated with FR91.
abstract: One of the main treatments currently used in humans to fight cancer is chemotherapy. A huge number of compounds with antitumor activity are present in nature, and many of their derivatives are produced by microorganisms. However, the search for new drugs still represents a main objective for cancer therapy, due to drug toxicity and resistance to multiple chemotherapeutic drugs. In animal models, a short-time oral administration of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induces colitis, which exhibits several clinical and histological features similar to ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the pathogenic factors responsible for DSS-induced colitis and the subsequent colon cancer also remain unclear. We investigated the effect of FR91, a standardized lysate of microbial cells belonging to the Bacillus genus which has been previously shown to have significant immunomodulatory effects, against intestinal inflammation. Colitis was induced in mice during 5 weeks by oral administration 2% (DSS). Morphological changes in the colonic mucosa were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry methods. Adenocarcinoma and cryptal cells of the dysplastic epithelium showed cathenin-β, MLH1, APC, and p53 expression, together with increased production of IFN-γ. In our model, the optimal dose response was the 20% FR91 concentration, where no histological alterations or mild DSS-induced lesions were observed. These results indicate that FR91 may act as a chemopreventive agent against inflammation in mice DSS-induced colitis.
authors.affiliation: Euroespes Biotechnology, Department of Cellular Immunology, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Valter R M
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Etcheverría
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carrera
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cacabelos
authors.forename: Antonio R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Chacón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001407:Bacillus / Q000737:chemistry*; D003092:Colitis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003106:Colon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D045424:Complex Mixtures / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D045424:Complex Mixtures; D016207:Cytokines; D016264:Dextran Sulfate