BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance colonography (MRC) has been recently developed to assess bowel inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Evaluating animal models of inflammation with MRC may be important in new drug-screening processes. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of MRC in colitic rats and confront it with model characteristics. METHODS: Colitis was induced by rectal injection of trinitrobenzene-sulfonic acid (TNBS) in 13 rats while six rats received the vehicle. MRC was performed at day 2. Colon inflammation and production of inflammatory mediators were evaluated. Image quality was assessed by wall and motion artifacts. MRC criteria were bowel wall thickness, wall signal intensity on T2-weighted (T2w) and T1w images, the appearance of a target sign pattern, and irregular patterns of mucosal surface. RESULTS: MRC quality was good or excellent in 16/21 examinations with no difference between groups. Colitis rats were significantly different from controls in terms of wall thickness (P = 0.004), the appearance of a target sign pattern (P = 0.02), irregular patterns of mucosal surface (P = 0.01), and hyperintensity on T1w images (P = 0.03). All MRC criteria except maximal bowel wall thickness were associated with colon weight:length ratio and inflammatory biomarkers (all P < 0.05). Minimal bowel wall thickness and wall signal intensity on T2w images were associated with histological score (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MRC is feasible and reliable in rats with TNBS-induced colitis. MRC criteria including colon wall thickness, wall signal intensity on T2w images, hyperintensity in T1w sequence, and the appearance of a target sign pattern may be potential targets for new IBD drugs.
BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance colonography (MRC) has been recently developed to assess bowel inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Evaluating animal models of inflammation with MRC may be important in new drug-screening processes. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of MRC in colitic rats and confront it with model characteristics. METHODS:Colitis was induced by rectal injection of trinitrobenzene-sulfonic acid (TNBS) in 13 rats while six rats received the vehicle. MRC was performed at day 2. Colon inflammation and production of inflammatory mediators were evaluated. Image quality was assessed by wall and motion artifacts. MRC criteria were bowel wall thickness, wall signal intensity on T2-weighted (T2w) and T1w images, the appearance of a target sign pattern, and irregular patterns of mucosal surface. RESULTS: MRC quality was good or excellent in 16/21 examinations with no difference between groups. Colitisrats were significantly different from controls in terms of wall thickness (P = 0.004), the appearance of a target sign pattern (P = 0.02), irregular patterns of mucosal surface (P = 0.01), and hyperintensity on T1w images (P = 0.03). All MRC criteria except maximal bowel wall thickness were associated with colon weight:length ratio and inflammatory biomarkers (all P < 0.05). Minimal bowel wall thickness and wall signal intensity on T2w images were associated with histological score (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MRC is feasible and reliable in rats with TNBS-induced colitis. MRC criteria including colon wall thickness, wall signal intensity on T2w images, hyperintensity in T1w sequence, and the appearance of a target sign pattern may be potential targets for new IBD drugs.
Authors: J Walldorf; M Hermann; M Porzner; S Pohl; H Metz; K Mäder; A Zipprich; B Christ; T Seufferlein Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2015-05-17 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Ramon Bartolí; Jaume Boix; Gemma Odena; Napoleón D De la Ossa; Vicente Moreno de Vega; Vicente Lorenzo-Zúñiga Journal: World J Gastrointest Endosc Date: 2013-05-16
Authors: R A Towner; N Smith; D Saunders; S B Van Gordon; K R Tyler; A B Wisniewski; B Greenwood-Van Meerveld; R E Hurst Journal: Neurogastroenterol Motil Date: 2015-08-24 Impact factor: 3.598
Authors: Markus Brückner; Philipp Lenz; Marcus M Mücke; Faekah Gohar; Peter Willeke; Dirk Domagk; Dominik Bettenworth Journal: World J Gastroenterol Date: 2016-01-21 Impact factor: 5.742
Authors: Patrick Maschmeyer; Georg Petkau; Francesco Siracusa; Jakob Zimmermann; Franziska Zügel; Anja Andrea Kühl; Katrin Lehmann; Sarah Schimmelpfennig; Melanie Weber; Claudia Haftmann; René Riedel; Markus Bardua; Gitta Anne Heinz; Cam Loan Tran; Bimba Franziska Hoyer; Falk Hiepe; Sebastian Herzog; Jürgen Wittmann; Nikolaus Rajewsky; Fritz Georg Melchers; Hyun-Dong Chang; Andreas Radbruch; Mir-Farzin Mashreghi Journal: J Autoimmun Date: 2017-12-01 Impact factor: 7.094