alpha-chymotrypsin and Colitis

The authors previously demonstrated that unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) may inhibit the activities of various digestive proteases, including trypsin and chymotrypsin. The digestive proteases in the lower gut are important in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases. The effects of UCB on the inflammation and levels of digestive proteases in feces of rats with colitis have not yet been revealed. The present study investigated the effect of UCB on the inflammatory status and levels of trypsin and chymotrypsin in the feces of rats with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)‑induced colitis. The data indicated that treatment with TNBS resulted in a marked reduction in weight gain, which was significantly alleviated in UCB‑treated rats. Furthermore, UCB treatment alleviated the inflammation induced by TNBS, detected via macroscopic damage and microscopic inflammation scores, and pro‑inflammatory markers including myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α and interleukin (IL)‑1β. Furthermore, rats with colitis demonstrated significant increases in fecal trypsin and chymotrypsin levels, whereas UCB treatment significantly alleviated these increases. A significant positive correlation was additionally revealed among the pro‑inflammatory markers (MPO, TNF‑α and IL‑1β) and fecal digestive proteases (trypsin and chymotrypsin) in colitis. The results of the present study demonstrated that UCB ameliorated the inflammation and digestive protease increase in TNBS-induced colitis.

Topics: Animals; Bilirubin; Biomarkers; Chymotrypsin; Colitis; Colon; Cytokines; Digestion; Endopeptidases; Feces; Inflammation; Inflammation Mediators; Male; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid; Trypsin; Weight Loss

We have previously shown that α-linolenic acid (ALA), a (n-3) PUFA exerts in vitro antiinflammatory effects in the intestine. In this study, we aimed to evaluate its effect on inflammatory and oxidative stress in a colitis model. Colitis was induced in 2 groups at d 0 by intrarectal injection of 2-4-6-trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid (TNBS), whereas the control group received the vehicle. Rats we fed 450 mg . kg(-1) . d(-1) of ALA (TNBS+ALA) while the other colitic group (TNBS) and the control group were fed an isocaloric corn oil formula for 14 d (from d -7 to d 7). RBC fatty acid composition was assessed. Oxidative stress was studied by measuring urinary 8-isoprostanes (8-IP) and colon glutathione (GSH) concentration and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. Colitis was assessed histologically, by production of proinflammatory mediators, including cytokines, leukotrienes B(4) (LTB(4)), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation. The ALA-rich diet significantly increased the RBC levels of ALA, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosapentaenoic acid (n-3) compared with the TNBS group (P < 0.01 for all). The beneficial effect of ALA supplementation on oxidative stress was reflected by lower urinary 8-IP levels (P < 0.05), a normalized colon GSH concentration (P < 0.01), and reduced colon iNOS expression (P < 0.05) compared with the TNBS group. ALA also protected against colon inflammation as assessed by lower tumor necrosis factor-α secretion and mRNA level (P < 0.05), reduced NF-κB activation (P = 0.01), and lower colon lipid mediator concentrations such as LTB(4) and COX-2 (P < 0.05) compared with the TNBS group. These findings show that an ALA-rich formula is beneficial to TNBS-induced colitic rats via inhibition of oxidative and inflammatory stress.

Topics: alpha-Linolenic Acid; Animals; Chymotrypsin; Colitis; Colon; Cytokines; Diet; Dinoprost; Eicosanoids; Erythrocytes; Fatty Acids; Glutathione; Interferons; Male; NF-kappa B; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Oxidative Stress; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid

Topics: Chymotrypsin; Clinical Enzyme Tests; Colitis; Colon, Sigmoid; Crohn Disease; Diagnosis, Differential; Feces; Humans; Pancreatic Diseases; Proctocolitis; Trypsin

Inflammatory diseases of the colon can be differentiated by means of their chymotrypsin A excretion in the stool. In proctosigmoiditis and a group of comparable gastroenterological cases, the mean excretion level is between 170 and 200 mug per gram of stool. The chymotrypsin A level in proctocolitis, on the other hand, is significantly higher in all stages and increases with increasing activity of the disease. This brings a further diagnostic criterion to the clinical and endoscopic differences between proctosigmoiditis and proctocolitis (colitis ulcerosa). The fundamentally different behavior in the excretion of chymotrypsin A in the stool supports the hypothesis of two diseases differing from each other.

Topics: Chymotrypsin; Colitis; Colitis, Ulcerative; Colon, Sigmoid; Diagnosis, Differential; Feces; Humans; Proctitis