Proliferation Of Colonic Mucosa Research Articles

Allopurinol Suppresses Azoxymethane-Induced Colorectal Tumorigenesis in C57BL/KsJ-db/db Mice

Obesity and related metabolic disorders, including chronic inflammation and enhanced oxidative stress, are closely associated with the development and progression of colorectal cancer. Previous epidemiological studies have demonstrated that increased serum uric acid is associated with the risk for various types of cancer, including colon cancer. This study examined the effects of a xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol, widely used as a uric acid lowering medicine, on colorectal tumorigenesis in obese mice. Male C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice were injected with azoxymethane (15 mg/kg body weight) and then received drinking water containing allopurinol (30 mg/kg body weight) for fourteen weeks. At the time of sacrifice, allopurinol treatment significantly inhibited the development of colonic premalignant lesions. In the allopurinol-treated group, cellular proliferation in colonic mucosa was significantly suppressed, which was evaluated by the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Allopurinol also inhibited macrophage infiltration in the adipose tissue and decreased the serum level of TNF-α. The values of oxidative stress markers were markedly decreased in the allopurinol-treated group compared to those in the control group. These findings suggest that allopurinol attenuated chronic inflammation and decreased oxidative stress, preventing the development of colonic pre-neoplastic lesions in obesity-associated colon tumorigenesis model.

Obestatin Accelerates the Healing of Acetic Acid-Induced Colitis in Rats.

Obestatin, a 23-amino acid peptide derived from the proghrelin, has been shown to exhibit some protective and therapeutic effects in the gut. The aim of present study was to determine the effect of obestatin administration on the course of acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. Materials and Methods. Studies have been performed on male Wistar rats. Colitis was induced by a rectal enema with 3.5% acetic acid solution. Obestatin was administered intraperitoneally twice a day at a dose of 8 nmol/kg, starting 24 h after the induction of colitis. Seven or 14 days after the induction of colitis, the healing rate of the colon was evaluated. Results. Treatment with obestatin after induction of colitis accelerated the healing of colonic wall damage and this effect was associated with a decrease in the colitis-evoked increase in mucosal activity of myeloperoxidase and content of interleukin-1β. Moreover, obestatin administration significantly reversed the colitis-evoked decrease in mucosal blood flow and DNA synthesis. Conclusion. Administration of exogenous obestatin exhibits therapeutic effects in the course of acetic acid-induced colitis and this effect is related, at least in part, to the obestatin-evoked anti-inflammatory effect, an improvement of local blood flow, and an increase in cell proliferation in colonic mucosa.

CUEDC2 Protects Against Experimental Colitis and Suppresses Excessive Proliferation of Intestinal Mucosa.

CUEDC2, a CUE domain-containing protein, is highly expressed in many tumors, which also may be associated with inflammation. In this study, we studied whether CUEDC2 plays a role in the progress of inflammatory bowel disease using CUEDC2 knockout (KO) mice and discussed the effects of CUEDC2 on cell proliferation in colonic mucosa. CUEDC2 KO mice were administered with drinking dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to establish colitis mice model. At different time points after DSS administration, body weight and stool consistency of mice were graded. Cytokines in colon tissue such as IL-6 were measured by RT-PCR. NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways in colon tissue were assessed by western blotting. Besides, cell proliferation of intestinal mucosa was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. CUEDC2 alleviated the colonic inflammation, showing elevated body weight loss, worse diarrhea, and more severe colonic mucosal injury in CUEDC2 KO mice than WT mice. Moreover, pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNFα, COX2, and MIP2 were significantly elevated. In CUEDC2 KO mice, the NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways were increasingly activated in different stages of progression of the colonic inflammation, and the percentage of proliferating cells as indicated by Ki67, CyclinD1, and BrdU in the inflammatory tissues was significantly increased. Our findings demonstrate that CUEDC2 plays an important role in protection from colonic inflammation, primarily by inhibiting the NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways and preventing excessive proliferation of the inflammatory epithelial cell.

Different Somatostatin (SST) production in the background of controlled and uncontrolled cell proliferation in colonic mucosa

Background: Alterations in proliferative activity during ageing compared to carcinogenesis, and the molecular differences of controlled and uncontrolled cell proliferation in colonic mucosa are unknown. SST has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects and the production of SST has not been examined in colonic mucosa during above-mentioned processes.

Adenovirus-mediated hepatocarcinoma-intestine-pancreas/pancreatitis-associated protein suppresses dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute ulcerative colitis in rats

Although increased expression of hepatocarcinoma-intestine-pancreas/pancreatitis-associated protein (HIP/PAP) has been reported in ulcerative colitis (UC), its role in UC remains unclear. This study was designed to assess the function of HIP/PAP in experimental UC and further to explore its underlying mechanisms. Recombinant adenovirus was prepared to mediate ectopic expression of HIP/PAP in the colon of rats. The effect of HIP/PAP on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis was assessed by disease activity index (DAI), macroscopic, and histological evaluations. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production were determined in colonic mucosa. Proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was immunostained to reflect the proliferation of colonic epithelia. The effects of HIP/PAP on proliferation and H(2)O(2) -induced apoptosis of SW480 and LoVo colonic adenocarcinoma cells were also determined. Gene expression profiles in SW480 after HIP/PAP overexpression were analyzed by microarray analysis. The protective effect of HIP/PAP against DSS-induced colitis in rats was confirmed. Ectopic expression of HIP/PAP resulted in attenuation of oxidative damage, reduction of TNF-α and IL-6 expression, and elevation of epithelial proliferation in colonic mucosa and led to decreased apoptosis and increased proliferation in colonic adenocarcinoma cells. Microarray analysis revealed altered expression of inflammation-related molecules, growth factors, proliferation-related molecules, and antioxidant enzymes under overexpression of HIP/PAP. HIP/PAP has a protective effect against DSS-induced colitis in rats via inhibiting inflammation, alleviating oxidative damage, and promoting colonic epithelium regeneration. HIP/PAP might represent a new promising therapeutic strategy in UC.

Epstein–Barr virus replication linked to B cell proliferation in inflamed areas of colonic mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection is associated with increased disease severity in therapeutically immunosuppressed IBD patients. The role of EBV infection in patients with IBD who are unresponsive to medical therapy is unclear. Anti-viral strategies may be a viable treatment option if severity of EBV infection, reflected in peripheral blood, contributes to IBD progression. Objectives We investigated the role of EBV in IBD patients unresponsive to medical therapy by examining EBV reactivation and B-cell proliferation in colonic mucosa. Study design EBV DNA copy numbers were measured by real-time PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 84 patients with IBD and 115 non-IBD controls in a retrospective cross-sectional study. EBV-infected cells in colonic mucosa were identified by immunohistochemistry. Results EBV load in PBMC was higher in patients with IBD than in non-IBD controls, especially in patients not responding to medication. Inflamed colonic mucosa of these patients had high levels of expression of lytic and latent EBV genes that localized to proliferating B-lymphocytes, which was not seen in patients responding to therapy. Conclusions EBV replication was associated with severe IBD and mucosal inflammation. Increased proliferation and EBV infection of B-lymphocytes in inflamed colonic mucosa highlight the potential role of EBV in mucosal inflammation. The immunomodulatory effects of EBV could delay the resolution of the IBD associated inflammation, thus contributing to disease progression. These results indicate that anti-viral therapeutic strategies for the resolution of IBD may be useful.

Insulin glargine and NPH insulin increase to a similar degree epithelial cell proliferation and aberrant crypt foci formation in colons of diabetic mice.

The insulin analog glargine has a higher binding affinity than regular insulin for the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor in vitro, raising questions about increased mitogenicity in vivo. Observational studies in humans have recently reported a potential differential association between insulin glargine and malignancies, but available evidence remains inconclusive. We directly compared glargine vs. neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin's effects on cell proliferation in colonic mucosa and on formation of aberrant crypt foci in diabetic mice, i.e., early stages of colorectal cancer development. Mice (BKS.Cg-+Lepr(db)/+Lepr(db)/OlaHsd) were treated with insulin glargine (G), NPH insulin (NPH), or saline (NaCl). We assessed epithelial proliferation after long-term insulin treatment (18 weeks) by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and Ki67 staining and analyzed the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in mice treated with insulin glargine or NPH insulin or 10 weeks after initiation with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine. Insulin glargine treatment did not result in significantly different epithelial colonic proliferation compared to NPH insulin (G, 137 ± 22; NPH, 136 ± 15; NaCl, 100 ± 20 (relative proliferation index)), but both insulin-treated groups of mice had a higher proliferation index compared to the NaCl control group (p<0.001). Similarly, we observed no difference in ACF formation between glargine- and NPH-insulin-treated mice (G, 132 ± 12; NPH, 138 ± 9; NaCl, 100 ± 7 (relative number of ACF)), but ACF formation was significantly higher in insulin-treated mice than in NaCl-treated control mice (p=0.001). Chronic insulin treatment results in higher colonic epithelial proliferation and ACF formation, but the use of insulin glargine vs. NPH insulin is not associated with increased risk.

Epithelial cell proliferation of the colonic mucosa in diverticular disease: a case–control study

A higher risk of both advanced adenoma and carcinoma occurs in the sigmoid colon of patients with diverticular disease, for which bacterial carcinogens have been claimed to play a role. To assess epithelial cell proliferation in colonic mucosa of diverticular disease patients before and after rifaximin treatment. Twelve consecutive patients with a new endoscopic diagnosis of left-sided diverticular disease and 12 matched controls were enrolled. Epithelial cell proliferation in the sigmoid mucosa was assessed by using proliferating cell nuclear antigen. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen index of the whole crypt and of the upper third was separately evaluated before and after 10-day rifaximin (400 mg b.d.) therapy. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen index in the upper third of the crypt was significantly higher in the diverticular patients (median: 25, range: 14-32) as compared with controls (median: 15, range: 5-20) (P = 0.038), and it was not reverted by rifaximin therapy. No difference of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen index of the whole crypt was detected between cases (median: 27, range: 23-44) and controls (median: 25, range: 18-42) (P = 0.6). Our data showed an upward shifting of cellular proliferation in the sigmoid mucosa of patients with diverticular disease. Because of rifaximin failure in reversing this alteration, factors other than the bacterial load should probably be investigated.

Serum bile acids, programmed cell death and cell proliferation in the mucosa of patients with colorectal adenomas

Background. Deoxycholic acid induced programmed cell death and an imbalance with cell proliferation may favour colorectal tumourigenesis according to ‘in vitro’ studies, but information is lacking on the relationships occurring ‘in vivo’ in humans. Aims. To evaluate whether serum deoxycholic acid is associated with programmed cell death and cell proliferation in colonic mucosa. Methods. In 10 patients with colorectal adenomas, we measured fasting serum levels of bile acids; and, in normal colonic mucosa, programmed cell death by the TUNEL technique and cell proliferation by immunohistochemical staining with anti-Ki67. Total and compartmental indices for both activities were calculated. Results. Among serum bile acids, only total deoxycholic acid (median: 0.89 μmol/L ±0.54 95% CI), showed a significant positive correlation with the total and basal compartments PCD Index ( r = 0.68, p < 0.05). Total proliferation index showed no correlation with either total PCD Index, or bile acids. Within the median compartment of the crypt, cell proliferation was negatively associated with all unconjugated bile acids. Conclusions. The positive association between deoxycholic acid and programmed cell death in the basal compartment of the crypt, and the negative association of cell proliferation and unconjugated bile acids in the median compartment, do not seem to support the co-carcinogenic effect of deoxycholic acid.

Increased proliferation and apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rats.

We have evaluated morphologic alterations and epithelial cell apoptosis and proliferation of colonic mucosa in the acute and chronic phases of DSS-induced colitis. Colitis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by 7 days of 4% DSS oral administration followed by 7 days of tap water for one, two, and three cycles. Control rats receved tap water only. Morphological changes in colonic mucosa were evaluated and scored by light and scanning electron microscopy. Apoptosis was studied by TUNEL assay and cell proliferation by Ki-67 immunoreaction. The expression of both proapoptotic (Fas, FasL, Bax, p53) and antiapoptotic (Bc12) cellular proteins was determined by immunohistochemistry. Morphologic assessment showed the most severe colonic epithelial lesions and inflammation in the distal colon with a trend to increasing severity from the first to the third DSS cycle. In DSS rats, the epithelial apoptotic index increased 20-fold after the first cycle and 120-fold after the second and third cycles compared with the controls; in the same way, the expression index of proapoptotic proteins (Fas, FasL, Bax, p53) dramatically increased. The proliferative index increased about 40 to 60-fold compared to controls, with no difference among the three DSS cycles. In conclusion, DSS-induced colitis in rats, which has many structural and ultrastructural features similar to those seen in human ulcerative colitis, is a suitable model for studying increased epithelial apoptosis and proliferation. Further studies employing this model will permitt two hypotheses to be tested. (1) Increased apoptosis may lead to a breakdown of the epithelial barrier function and facilitate the mucosal invasion of intraluminal microorganisms and/or antigens. (2) Abnormal and persistent epithelial hyperproliferation could be causally related to the development of colorectal cancers in the setting of chronic colonic inflammation.

The inhibitory effects of mangiferin, a naturally occurring glucosylxanthone, in bowel carcinogenesis of male F344 rats

Mangiferin, 1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone-C2-beta-d-glucoside, is one of xanthone derivatives and C-glucosylxanthones, is widely distributed in higher plants and is one of constituents of folk medicines. Recent studies showed that mangiferin has a potential as an anti-oxidant and an anti-viral agent. In this study, we examined the effects of mangiferin in rat colon carcinogenesis induced by chemical carcinogen, azoxymethane (AOM). We performed two experiments: a short-term assay to investigate the effects of mangiferin on the development of preneoplastic lesions by AOM, aberrant crypt foci (ACF), and the following long-term assay for the influence of mangiferin on tumorigenesis induced by AOM. In the short-term assay, 0.1% mangiferin in a diet significantly inhibited the ACF development in rats treated with AOM compared to rats treated with AOM alone (64.6±22.0 vs. 108.3±43.0). In the long-term assay, the group treated with 0.1% mangiferin in initiation phase of the experimental protocol had significantly lower incidence and multiplicity of intestinal neoplasms induced by AOM (47.3 and 41.8% reductions of the group treated with AOM alone for incidence and multiplicity, respectively). In addition, the cell proliferation in colonic mucosa was reduced in rats treated with mangiferin (65–85% reductions of the group treated with AOM alone). These results suggest that mangiferin has potential as a naturally-occurring chemopreventive agent.

Prevention of colon cancer and modulation of aberrant crypt foci, cell proliferation, and apoptosis by retinoids and NSAIDs.

The effect of the NSAIDs, retinoids and DFMO on AOM-induced colon tumors, and ACF, cell proliferation, and apoptosis is summarized in Table 1. The ability to prevent AOM-induced ACF has been used as an assay to screen agents for chemoprevention. As discussed above, all six potential chemopreventive agents, aspirin, 2-CPR, DFMO, 4-HPR, piroxicam, and 9-cis-retinoic acid, decreased the level of AOM-induced ACF. However, two of the agents, aspirin (at doses that greatly reduced the yield of ACF) and 2-CPR did not prevent AOM-induced colon tumors. Hence, aspirin and 2-CPR would appear to be false positive in the ACF assay. Besides being a false positive in the ACF assay, 2-CPR actually had the opposite effect of doubling the yield of colon tumor. The false positive result for aspirin could be due to the lower sensitivity of the AOM-induced colon cancer assay compared to the ACF assay. However, aspirin [table: see text] significantly reduced the yield of ACF at a dose (600 mg/kg diet) one-third the dose (1800 mg/kg diet) that did not reproducibly reduce the yield of colon tumors. Thus, although there were no false negative results, two of the six agents gave false positive results in the AOM-induced ACF assay with respect to their ability to prevent colon cancer. Two other potential biomarkers for chemopreventive activity are the ability to reduce the level of cell proliferation and to enhance the level of apoptosis. All six of the agents including aspirin and 2-CPR reduced the level of cell proliferation in adenomas. Thus, similar to their ability to prevent ACF, the ability of aspirin and 2-CPR to decrease cell proliferation were also false positive responses with respect to prevention of colon cancer, but not with respect to the prevention of ACF. Piroxicam, the most potent of the six agents in preventing AOM-induced colon cancer, did not significantly affect the level of cell proliferation in adenomas which is a false negative response. Hence, only three of the six agents (50%) were correctly identified as potential chemopreventive agents by their ability to reduce the level of cell proliferation. In contrast, retinoids, including the three discussed here, demonstrated good correlation between the ability to prevent AOM-induced ACF and the ability to decrease cell proliferation in colonic mucosa or ACF. Thus, within some classes of agents such as the retinoids, the ability to prevent ACF and to reduce cell proliferation appear to correlate, while in other classes including the NSAIDs, the correlation appeared not to exist. The four agents that prevented colon cancer all enhanced the level of apoptosis, while the two agents that did not prevent colon cancer did not effect apoptosis. Three other chemopreventive agents, including phenylethyl-3-methylcaffeate and the NSAIDs, curcumin and sulindac, have been shown by Samaha et al. to enhance apoptosis in AOM-induced colon tumors. Thus, although a very limited number of chemopreventive agents have been evaluated for the ability to enhance apoptosis in the colon, there appears to be an association between the ability to enhance apoptosis and the ability to prevent colon cancer. The use of the AOM-induced ACF assay to screen agents for the ability to prevent colon tumors would appear to result in false positive responses including agents (2-CPR and quercetin) that actually promote colon cancer. However, our results suggest that false positive responders could be distinguished by their inability to enhance apoptosis while potential chemopreventive agents would enhance it. It is therefore proposed that a Two Step Procedure be used to screen agents for the ability to prevent colon cancer. Step 1 would be the determination of the ability to prevent ACF. Because the ACF assay appears to suffer more from false positive than from false negative responders, apparently few potent chemopreventive agents would be missed. Also the ACF assay could be the source of foci for evaluation of the effect

Antagonistic effects of sulfide and butyrate on proliferation of colonic mucosa: a potential role for these agents in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis.

It has been shown that feces of patients with ulcerative colitis uniformly contain sulfate reducing bacteria. Sulfide produced by these bacteria interferes with butyrate-dependent energy metabolism of cultured colonocytes and may be involved in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. Mucosal biopsies from the sigmoid rectum of 10 patients (no caner, polyps, inflammatory bowel disease) were incubated with either NaCl, sodium hydrogen sulfide (1 mmol/L), a combination of both sodium hydrogen sulfide and butyrate (10 mmol/L), or butyrate. Mucosal proliferation was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine labeling of cells in S-phase. Compared to NaCl, sulfide increased the labeling of the entire crypt significantly, by 19% (p < 0.05). This effect was due to an expansion of the proliferative zone to the upper crypt (compartments 3-5), where the increase in proliferation was 54%. Sulfide-induced hyperproliferation was reversed when samples were coincubated with sulfide and butyrate. The study shows that sodium hydrogen sulfide induces mucosal hyperproliferation. Our data support a possible role of sulfide in the pathogenesis of UC and confirm the role of butyrate in the regulation of colonic proliferation and in the treatment of UC.

Bombesin enhances experimental carcinogenesis induced in rat colon by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine.

The effects of bombesin on the colonic mucosa and on the incidence, number, size and histology of colon cancers induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) were studied in Fischer 344 rats. In experiment 1, rats were randomized into three groups to receive either saline or bombesin (10 or 30 micrograms/kg body wt) to determine the labeling index of normal colonic mucosa. In experiment 2, rats were given 20 weekly injections of DMH (20 micrograms/kg body wt) and received either saline or bombesin (10 or 30 micrograms/kg body wt) every other day for 24 weeks. Administration of bombesin significantly increased the labeling indices of colonic mucosa in a dose-dependent manner. Chronic administration of bombesin at both dosages with DMH caused significant increases in the incidence, number and depth of involvement of colon cancers; however, it did not affect the size and histological type of colon cancers. In addition, bombesin at the dose of 30 micrograms/kg significantly increased the labeling index of colon cancer. These results suggest that bombesin stimulates the cell proliferation of colonic mucosa and colon cancer and enhances colon carcinogenesis in rats.

Immunohistochemical detection of abnormal cell proliferation in colonic mucosa of subjects with polyps.

Previous studies have shown the presence of increased proliferation in the large bowel epithelium of those at high risk of developing colon cancer. An in vitro technique for labelling large bowel mucosa with the thymidine analogue bromodeoxyuridine (Brdu) was therefore developed and its ability to distinguish differences in mucosal proliferation between subjects with colorectal adenomas and normal controls was assessed. Sigmoid biopsy specimens from 15 subjects with polyps and 15 age and sex matched controls were labelled and the incorporated Brdu visualised with an immunohistochemical technique. Mean labelling index (LI) was significantly higher in those with polyps than in controls. Differences in the pattern of labelling in colonic crypts were compared by the generation of cumulative labelling distributions. Analysis showed a significant expansion of the proliferative compartment in the colon crypts of those with polyps. It is concluded that in vitro labelling with Brdu provides a useful method for the assessment of mucosal proliferation in subjects at high risk of developing colon cancer.

Effects of Sodium Sulfate on Fecal pH and Proliferation of Colonic Mucosa in Patients at High Risk for Colon Cancer

High fecal pH level has been suggested as a risk factor for colorectal cancer. We previously demonstrated that, although sodium sulfate did not affect the proliferation rate of colonic mucosa, as indicated by thymidine-labeling index, it did lower fecal pH in subjects at average risk for colon cancer. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of sodium sulfate on fecal pH and proliferation of colonic mucosa in subjects at high risk for colon cancer. Fifty-seven patients who had had colonic polyps removed were randomly assigned to two groups to receive either sodium sulfate (27 patients) or a placebo (25 patients) at a mean dose of 4 g/day for 14 days. Age, sex, height, and weight were comparable in both groups. Before intervention, levels of fecal pH were similar in the two groups, but after intervention, fecal pH was reduced only in the sodium sulfate group (mean decrease, 0.3 U; P less than .01). Thymidine-labeling index (number of labeled cells per number of cells counted) was similar in the two groups prior to intervention and did not change significantly after intervention (mean increase, 0.9%; P = .35). Regression analysis revealed no correlation between the change in labeling index and the change in fecal pH. We conclude that high fecal pH level is only indirectly associated with the development of colon cancer and, therefore, may be a secondary, rather than a primary, measure of cancer risk.

Effect of estrogen on cell proliferation in colonic mucosa of the mouse.

The effect of estrogen on cell proliferation in the descending colon of the mouse as an example of a non-target organ was investigated. Ovariectomized mice were given single or multiple injections of 10 ng/g body weight of 17 beta-estradiol and were killed 1 h after 3H-thymidine injection. Estrogen treatments decreased incorporation of 3H-thymidine into the DNA of colonic mucosa most markedly at 4 h after the single or the last of multiple injections. The inhibitory effect of estrogen on 3H-thymidine incorporation was greater and lasted longer after a single injection than after multiple ones. A similar inhibitory effect was observed in the colonic mucosa of male mice as well as in the mucosa of mice in which colonic epithelial cell proliferation was enhanced by refeeding after 48 h of fasting. However, the colonic mucosa of mice treated with estrogen implants for up to 4 days was not affected. Estrogen treatments caused no significant change in the DNA, RNA and protein contents of the colonic mucosa. The efficacy of estrogen treatments was verified by an increase in both the wet and dry weights of the uterine horns of ovariectomized mice.