Therapeutic effect of antisecretory factor-rich egg yolk on the late phases of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid colitis in mice

Abstract

Antisecretory factor (AF) is expressed in all tissues of mammals, inhibits intestinal hypersecretion and has anti-inflammatory properties as well. Endogenous AF synthesis may be stimulated by feeding hydrothermally processed cereals. Alternatively, freeze-dried egg yolk can be used as a source of exogenous AF. Several reports have suggested that AF from freeze-dried egg yolk may be useful in inflammatory bowel disease. We assessed the effect of freeze-dried, AF-rich egg yolk intake on 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNBS) colitis. Balb/c mice were randomised to receive (1) AF in sterile drinking-water (4 g/l, n 38) and (2) sterile drinking-water alone (vehicle, n 38) from TNBS or saline administration onwards. Different subsets of mice were killed at weeks 1-3 after TNBS or saline administration. Macroscopic and microscopic damage was assessed in colonic specimens. Eicosanoid and cytokine production was evaluated in supernatants of 24 h-incubated colonic explants. Myeloperoxidase activity was measured in frozen colonic samples, while apoptosis was assessed in paraffined samples by the in situ oligoligation method. AF-treated mice showed a milder colonic damage compared with the vehicle group, which became statistically significant at week 3. This was accompanied by decreased IL-2, IL-1 and leukotriene B 4 production at weeks 2 and 3, as well as increased interferon-g at week 1, in AF-treated mice compared with vehicle-treated mice. AF-treated mice had significantly increased counts of apoptotic cells in the lamina propria at weeks 1 and 2 post-TNBS. In conclusion, the administration of AF-rich egg yolk has a therapeutic effect in the late phases of TNBS colitis in Balb/c mice.

Uptake of the antisecretory factor peptide AF-16 in rat blood and cerebrospinal fluid and effects on elevated intracranial pressure

“…In addition to electrolyte and water transport regulation, AF acts by counteracting various forms of inflammatory reactions [ 21 – 23 ]. AF has also been demonstrated to modulate the proliferation of memory/effector T cells, thereby inhibiting the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalitis [ 24 , 25 ], and to inhibit the extent of inflammation in the late phase of a mouse colitis model [ 26 ]. Furthermore, we have shown that intranasal application of AF-16 suppressed an elevated ICP and completely abolished the mortality in rats with encephalitis experimentally induced by herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) [ 6 ].…”

Response Variability to Drug Testing in Two Models of Chemically Induced Colitis

“…TNBS-induced inflammation generates transmural colonic lesions [ 13 ] that share the hallmarks of human CD [ 14 ]. Severe colitis after TNBS enema is followed by body weight loss, diarrhea, and increased myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in wild-type mice [ 10 , 15 , 16 ]. On the other hand, DSS acute colitis is usually induced by continuous administration of 2–7% DSS in drinking water for a short period.…”

Anti-Inflammatory Substances in Wheat Malt Inducing Antisecretory Factor

“…Wheat and other cereal grains contain both inflammatory substances such as agglutinins and anti-inflammatory substances such as antioxidants [1–3]. Malting increases the levels of anti-inflammatory substances in cereals by releasing these substances from larger complexes [4–6], and so intake of extensively malted oats and wheat can counteract enterotoxic diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerous colitis and Crohn’s disease [7–9]. The active phytochemicals seem to be certain phenols which induce an antisecretory factor (AF) in the blood [10].…”