BACKGROUND The development of colitis in interleukin 10 (IL-10) deficient mice, together with the known anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of this cytokine have prompted consideration of IL-10 as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, studies using hrIL-10 in IBD models have yielded inconsistent results. AIMS To examine the therapeutic potential of overexpre...

Pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) function to maintain the balance between controlled responses to pathogens and uncontrolled innate immune activation leading to inflammation. In the context of commensal bacteria and the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease, although a role for the TLRs is known, there is a less defined function for C-type lectin receptors (CLRs). We demonstrate that mice...

Several lines of studies have suggested that activins are critical mediators of inflammation and tissue repair. As activins and their receptors are expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, we tested the hypothesis that activin signaling is involved in the development of colitis by using two murine models of colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or in mdr1a-/- mice. By immunohistochemi...

AIM To analyze the changes of different Lactobacillus species in ulcerative colitis patients and to further assess the therapeutic effects of selected Lactobacillus strains on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis in BALB/c mice. METHODS Forty-five active ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and 45 population-based healthy controls were enrolled. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR...

Sleep deprivation (SD) is an epidemic phenomenon in modern countries, and its harmful effects are well known. SD acts as an aggravating factor in inflammatory bowel disease. Melatonin is a sleep-related neurohormone, also known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the gastrointestinal tract; however, the effects of melatonin on colitis have been poorly characterized. Thus, in th...