Somatostatin does not attenuate intestinal injury in dextran sodium sulphate-induced subacute colitis

FROM several in vitro and in vivo studies involvement of somatostatin (SMS) in intestinal inflammation emerge. Acute colitis induced in rats is attenuated by the long-acting SMS analogue octreotide, We studied the potential beneficial effect of SMS on non-acute experimental colitis, BALB/c mice received either saline, SMS-14 (36 or 120 mu g daily) or octreotide (3 mu g daily) subcutaneously delivered by implant osmotic pumps, A non-acute colitis was induced by administration of dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) 10% in drinking water during 7 days. DSS evoked a mild, superficial pancolitis, most characterized by mucosal ulceration and submucosal influx of neutrophils, Neither SMS-14 nor octreotide reduced mucosal inflammatory score or macroscopical disease activity, although reduction of intestinal levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-6 and IL-10 during DSS was augmented both by SMS and octreotide, A slight increase of neutrophil influx was seen during SMS administration in animals not exposed to DSS, In conclusion, SMS or its long-acting analogue did not reduce intestinal inflammation in non-acute DSS-induced colitis. According to the cytokine profile observed, SMS-14 and octreotide further diminished the reduction of intestinal macrophage and Th2 lymphocyte activity.