semapimod and Enteritis

Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve reduces intestinal inflammation following mechanical handling, thereby shortening post-operative ileus in mice. Previous studies in a sepsis model showed that this cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can be activated pharmacologically by central administration of semapimod, an inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. We therefore evaluated the effect of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) semapimod on intestinal inflammation and post-operative ileus in mice.. Mice underwent a laparotomy or intestinal manipulation 1 h after i.c.v. pre-treatment with semapimod (1 µg·kg(-1) ) or saline. Drugs were administered through a cannula placed in the left lateral ventricle 1 week prior to experimentation. Twenty-four hours after surgery, gastric emptying was measured using scintigraphy, and the degree of intestinal inflammation was assessed. Finally, activation of brain regions was assessed using quantitative immunohistochemistry for c-fos.. Intestinal manipulation induced inflammation of the manipulated intestine and significantly delayed gastric emptying, 24 h after surgery in saline-treated animals. Semapimod significantly reduced this inflammation and improved gastric emptying. Vagotomy enhanced the inflammatory response induced by intestinal manipulation and abolished the anti-inflammatory effect of semapimod. Semapimod but not saline induced a significant increase in c-fos expression in the paraventricular nucleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve.. Our findings show that i.c.v. semapimod reduces manipulation-induced intestinal inflammation and prevented post-operative ileus. This anti-inflammatory effect depends on central activation of the vagus nerve.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Brain; Disease Models, Animal; Enteritis; Female; Gastric Emptying; Hydrazones; Ileus; Injections, Intraventricular; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Motor Neurons; Postoperative Complications; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; Vagotomy; Vagus Nerve