CECAL AND COLONIC BLOOD FLOW IN THE EARLY DEVELOPING STAGE OF RAT EXPERIMENTAL ULCERATIVE COLITIS INDUCED BY DEXTRAN SULFATE SODIUM

Abstract

We studied the early cecal and colonic blood folw changes in rat experimental ulcerative colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium to investigate whether these blood flow changes are the one of the causes of the cecal and colonic lesions. A 10% aqueous solution of dextran sulfate sodium was added to the rats' drinking fluid. After 7 days, all the rats exhibited typical experimental ulcerative colitis. This model closely resembled human ulcerative colitis with respect to clinical features such as bloody diarrhea and body weight loss, as well as morphorogical features observed by endoscopy and light microscopy. We measured the blood flow in the terminal ileum, cecum, ascending, transverse and descending colon both in the early stage and more advanced active stages of the disease by laser doppler flowmetry. Compared to the control group, the blood flow in the group treated with dextran for 7 days was significantly elevated in cecum and proximal ascend-ing colon, which showed typical lesions with diffuse hemorrhagic shallow ulcerations. The changes in blood flow did not appear to precede the morphorogical changes. The results indicated that cecal and colonic blood flow changes in the early stage of the disease were merely the result, and not the cause, of the lesions.