title: Optimisation of Intestinal Fibrosis and Survival in the Mouse S. Typhimurium Model for Anti-fibrotic Drug Discovery and Preclinical Applications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Intestinal fibrosis is a frequent complication in Crohn's disease [CD]. The mouse Salmonella typhimurium model, due to its simplicity, reproducibility, manipulability, and penetrance, is an established fibrosis model for drug discovery and preclinical trials. However, the severity of fibrosis and mortality are host- and bacterial strain-dependent, thus limiting the original model. We re-evaluated the S. typhimurium model to optimise fibrosis and survival, using commercially available mouse strains.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fibrotic and inflammatory markers were evaluated across S. typhimurium ΔaroA:C57bl/6 studies performed in our laboratory. A model optimisation study was performed using three commercially available mouse strains [CBA/J, DBA/J, and 129S1/SvImJ] infected with either SL1344 or ΔaroA S. typhimurium. Fibrotic penetrance was determined by histopathology, gene expression, and αSMA protein expression. Fibrosis severity, penetrance, and survival were analysed across subsequent CBA studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fibrosis severity and survival are both host- and bacterial strain-dependent. Marked tissue fibrosis and 100% survival occurred in the CBA/J strain infected with SL1344. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that CBA/J mice develop extensive intestinal fibrosis, characterised by transmural tissue fibrosis, a Th1/Th17 cytokine response, and induction of pro-fibrotic genes and extracellular matrix proteins. A meta-analysis of subsequent SL1344:CBA/J studies demonstrated that intestinal fibrosis is consistent and highly penetrant across histological, protein, and gene expression markers. As proof-of-concept, we tested the utility of the SL1344:CBA/J fibrosis model to evaluate efficacy of CCG-203971, a novel anti-fibrotic drug.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The S. typhimurium SL1344:CBA/J model is an optimised model for the study of intestinal fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Eva S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Rodansky
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Moons
authors.affiliation: Vahlteich Medicinal Chemistry Core, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Neubig
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Peter D R
authors.initials: PDR
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055808:Drug Discovery; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009557:Nipecotic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: C000589288:N-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-((3-(furan-2-yl)phenyl)carbonyl)piperidine-3-carboxamide; D009557:Nipecotic Acids
keywords: IBD; Salmonella typhimurium; fibrosis; model; mouse strain