The Morphofunctional Profile of a Mouse Model of Acute Moderate Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a socially significant disease, but its etiology is unclear. The most widely used experimental model is dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. The aim of the work was to characterize morphofunctional and molecular biological changes in the colon and mesenteric lymph nodes in acute colitis induced by 1% DSS solution in male C57BL/6 mice. Upon induction of colitis, moderate ulcerative inflammatory process developed in the colon, and hyperplasia of the cortex, plasmatization of the medullary cords, and macrophage reaction in the sinuses were observed in the mesenteric lymph nodes. Inflammatory infiltration, increased macrophage content, decreased volume fraction of goblet cells and neutral mucin content in them, increased endocrine cell content, and increased expression of Cldn4, Cldn7, Bax, and Bcl2 were detected in the colon. Pronounced changes in the composition of intestinal microflora were observed.