engleski

Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone reduces colonic damage in rat model of inflammatory bowel disease

The aim of the study was to investigate the dose-dependent in vivo effect of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) in a rat model of inflammatory bowel disease induced by 2, 4, 6-tri nitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS). Laboratory animals (male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g) were given 3 doses of alpha-MSH (0.5 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg) intraperitoneally 1 hour prior to inducing colitis with a TNBS enema. Control animals received saline solution i.p. Rats were sacrificed after 72 hours and the area of mucosallesions, involving the distal 10 cm of colon, was detennined in mm2 by means of image analysis software. Alpha-MSH structure was analyzed by means of NMR spectroscopy. The area of colonic darnage was significantly reduced following pretreatment with a single dose of 1 mg/kg alpha-MSH, as compared to control animals (p = 0.0147). Higher and lower doses had no significant effects. A single dose of 1 mg/kg a-MSH provided strong, statistically significant and pharmacologically relevant cytoprotection. The results point to alpha-MSH effectiveness in controlling inflarnmation and imply that further in vitro and in vivo experiments should be carried out to judge the importance and relevance of alpha MSH in the control of inflammatory bowel disease. NMR data support a hairpin loop conformation of alpha MSH in water solution, which includes conserved message sequence.

inflammatory bowel disease ; alpha-MSH ; NMR ; TNBS ; colitis ; cytoprotection

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