A TNBS-Induced Rodent Model to Study the Pathogenic Role of Mechanical Stress in Crohn's Disease

Summary

The present protocol describes the development of a Crohn's-like colitis model in rodents. Transmural inflammation leads to stenosis at the TNBS instillation site, and mechanical enlargement is observed in the segment proximal to the stenosis. These changes allow studying mechanical stress in colitis.

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease (CD) are chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract affecting approximately 20 per 1,000,000 in Europe and USA. CD is characterized by transmural inflammation, intestinal fibrosis, and luminal stenosis. Although anti-inflammatory therapies may help control inflammation, they have no efficacy on fibrosis and stenosis in CD. The pathogenesis of CD is not well understood. Current studies focus mainly on delineating dysregulated gut immune response mechanisms. While CD-associated transmural inflammation, intestinal fibrosis, and luminal stenosis all represent mechanical stress to the gut wall, the role of mechanical stress in CD is not well defined. To determine if mechanical stress plays an independent pathogenic role in CD, a protocol of TNBS-induced CD-like colitis model in rodents has been developed. This TNBS-induced transmural inflammation and fibrosis model resembles pathological hallmarks of CD in the colon. It is induced by intracolonic instillation of TNBS into the distal colon of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. In this model, transmural inflammation leads to stenosis at the TNBS instillation site (Site I). Mechanical distention is observed in the portion proximal to the instillation site (Site P), representing mechanical stress but not visible inflammation. Colonic portion distal to inflammation (Site D) presents neither inflammation nor mechanical stress. Distinctive changes of gene expression, immune response, fibrosis, and smooth muscle growth at different sites (P, I, and D) were observed, highlighting a profound impact of mechanical stress. Therefore, this model of CD-like colitis will help us better understand CD's pathogenic mechanisms, particularly the role of mechanical stress and mechanical stress-induced gene expression in immune dysregulation, intestinal fibrosis, and tissue remodeling in CD.

Introduction

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), is characterized by chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It affects ~1-2 million Americans¹. The estimated annual costs for IBD care in the US are $11.8 billion. Unlike UC, the CD is characterized by transmural inflammation and stricture formation^2,3. Stricture formation (stenosis) occurs in up to 70% of CD patients³ and may be caused by transmural inflammation (inflammatory stenosis) or intestinal fibrosis (fibrotic stenosis)⁴

Protocol

All animal experiments were conducted according to the institutional animal care and use committee of the University of Texas Medical Branch (#0907051C). Male or female Sprague-Dawley rats, ~8-9 weeks old, were used for the study.

1. Animal preparation

1. Fast rats for 24 h and treat them with laxative (bowel cleanser, see Table of Materials) overnight.
2. The next day, anesthetize rats using an anesthesia system (see Table of Materials) by exposing them to 2% isoflurane along with 1 L/min of oxygen during TNBS administration. Check for reflexes or pinch toes to confirm anes....

Results

Macroscopic view of Crohn's-like colitis induced by intra-colonic instillation of TNBS
As shown in Figure 1, intracolonic instillation of TNBS in rats induced a localized transmural inflammation (~2 cm in length) with thickened bowel wall and narrowed lumen (stenosis) in the site of instillation in the distal colon (Figure 1A). The site of TNBS instillation is referred to as site I. As a result of transmural inflammation and stenosis, both i.......

Discussion

TNBS-induced colitis was introduced in 1989 and has been used as an experimental model of Crohn's disease since then^19,20,23. Significant features of this model in rodents include the development of a transmural inflammation that closely resembles the histopathological lesions developed in human Crohn's disease^19,20. Previous studies on the model have focuse.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
ACT-1 Control Software Ver2.63	Nikon	DXM1200F
C1000 Touch Thermal Cycler with 96-Well Fast Reaction Module	BIO-RAD	1851196
CFX96 Optical Reaction Module for Real-Time PCR Systems	BIO-RAD	1845097
Dako Agilent Artisan Link Pro Special stainer	Dako	AR310
Dako-Agilent Masson's Trichrome Kit ref# AR173	Dako	AR173
DXM1200 Digital Color HR Camera	Nikon	DXM1200
Eukaryotic 18S rRNA Endogenous Control	ThermoFisher Scientific	4352930E
E-Z Anesthesia	E-Z Systems Inc.	EZ-155
GraphPad Prism 9	GraphPad	9.0.2 (161)
Hard-Shell 96-Well PCR Plates, low profile, thin wall, skirted, white/clear	BIO-RAD	HSP9601
HBSS (Corning Hank's Balanced Salt Solution, 1x without calcium and magnesium)	CORNING	21-021-CV
HM 325 Microtome	Thermo Scientific	23-900-667
Isoflurane	Piramal	NDC 66794-017-10
LI-COR Odyssey Digital Imaging System	LI-COR	9120
Mastercycler epGradient Thermal Cycler with Control Panel 5340 Thermal Cycler	Eppendorf	5341
Medical grade open end polyurethane catheter	Covidien	8890703013
NanoDrop 2000/2000c Spectrophotometers	Thermo Fisher Scientific	ND2000CLAPTOP
Nikon Eclipse E800 Upright Microscope	Nikon	E800
Nitrocellulose/Filter Paper Sandwiches Pkg of 50, 0.45 μm, 7 x 8.5 cm	BIO-RAD	1620215
Polyethylene Glycol 3350, Osmotic Laxative	Miralax	C8175	Dose: 17g in 226 mL of water
RNeasy Mini Kit (250) 250 RNeasy Mini Spin Columns, Collection Tubes (1.5 mL and 2 mL), RNase-free Reagents and Buffers	QIAGEN	74106
SuperScript III First-Strand Synthesis System	ThermoFisher Scientific	18080051
TaqMan Gene Expression Assays Rn00573960_g1 CTGF Probe	ThermoFisher Scientific	4331182
TaqMan Gene Expression Assays Rn99999011_m1 IL6 Probe	ThermoFisher Scientific	4331182
TaqMan Fast Advanced Master Mix	ThermoFisher Scientific	4444557
Tissue-Tek Prisma H&E Stain Kit #1	Sakura	6190
Tissue-Tek Prisma Plus Automated Slide Stainer	Sakura	6171
TNBS (Picrylsulfonic acid solution)	SIGMA-ALDRICH	92822