title: eNOS plays an important role in the regulation of colonic inflammation: a novel therapeutic target and a predictive marker for the prognosis of ulcerative colitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We reported that deficiency of the eNOS protein exacerbates colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS-induced colitis). However, the role of eNOS in colitis remains controversial. Therefore, we studied how over-expression of eNOS affected this inflammatory condition, using vascular endothelial cells and mice as in vitro and in vivo models, respectively. Furthermore, we investigated the influence of a polymorphism in the eNOS gene on the clinical features of ulcerative colitis (UC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the effect of eNOS overexpression on the expression of adhesion molecules in the endothelium and assessed the degree of DSS-induced colitis in eNOS transgenic (eNOS-Tg) mice. We also investigated the relationship between a polymorphism in the eNOS gene and clinical features of patients with UC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of adhesion molecules, under inflammatory conditions, was attenuated in eNOS gene-transfected vascular endothelial cells, as measured by western blot analysis. Symptoms of DSS-induced colitis were likewise attenuated in eNOS-Tg mice, which exhibited lower weight loss, mortality, histological damage (by inflammation score and crypt damage score), and colonic myeloperoxidase activity, tumor necrosis factor-α expression, and MAdCAM-1 expression than in wild-type mice. Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between intractable cases of UC and a polymorphism in the eNOS gene promoter (c.-786 T > C) that decreases eNOS expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The eNOS gene plays an important role in the regulation of colonic inflammation. The level of eNOS expression may be a predictive marker for prognosis of UC, and eNOS expression may be a novel therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine , Nagakute , Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okaniwa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizushima
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogasawara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Funaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Joh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasugai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
keywords: eNOS over-expression; endothelial adhesion molecules; gene-polymorphism; inflammatory bowel disease; intractable case