Imaging and Advanced TechnologyUltrasound Elasticity Imaging for Detecting Intestinal Fibrosis and Inflammation in Rats and Humans With Crohn's Disease
Section snippets
Animal Models of Acute Colitis and Intestinal Fibrosis
Acute colitis and colonic fibrosis were generated in Lewis rats by rectal administration of TNBS enemas, a well-accepted model of colitis developed by Morris et al.13 A total of 15 female Lewis rats (Harlan Sprague–Dawley; Harlan, Indianapolis, IN; weight, 150–180 g) were separated into 3 groups: Acute colitis, chronic intestinal fibrosis, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) enema negative controls; 1 rat in the acute colitis group did not survive treatment. Rodents were fasted for 16–24 hours
Acute TNBS Enemas Induce Inflammatory Colitis, Whereas Chronic TNBS Enemas Induce Colonic Fibrosis in Rats
The objective of the animal portion of our study was to determine whether UEI measurements of the rat colon could distinguish inflammatory and fibrotic causes of bowel wall thickening. Biologic confirmation of the fibrotic and inflammatory phenotypes was performed by gross pathologic, histologic, and molecular methods. At sacrifice, gross colon morphology was consistent with inflammation and fibrosis (Figure 1A). The acute TNBS colitis group demonstrated distal colon thickening with areas of
Discussion
The monitoring and management of inflammation in IBD have undergone revolutionary advances in the past 20 years, but the development of methods of detection and treatment of fibrosis in CD have lagged behind. Fibrostenotic complications lead to frequent hospital admissions, operative interventions, and substantial costs in CD. At present, our armamentarium against fibrosis is limited to preventive, anti-inflammatory strategies. Antifibrotic therapies for other organs may hold promise for
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2021, Acta BiomaterialiaCitation Excerpt :Our study demonstrated a strong relationship between the tissue stiffness and histological change of the tissue in CD strictures, i.e. the severer the disease, the stiffer wall of the CD stricture. The finding is consistent with the trend identified in previous compression studies on the bowel wall stiffness in CD patients [10-12]. However, it is difficult to compare the mechanical constants obtained in this study with the bowel wall stiffness in CD patient in previously published studies since different mechanical tests and mechanical models were used.
Conflicts of interest The authors disclose no conflicts.
Funding Supported by grants R21-DK081123-01 (KK, JX, PDRH, JMR); K08-DK080172-01 (PDRH), and T32-DK007367-01 (RWS).