Asetik asitle oluşturulan deneysel kolit modelinde leflunomid'in etkinliğinin araştırılması*

Background and Aims: Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) plays a key role in initiating inflammation associated with colitis. Leflunomide is a novel immunomodulating drug and a potent inhibitor of NF-κB activation. There are limited clinical data about the beneficial effects of leflunomide in Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of leflunomide pretreatment in acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. Materials and Methods: Forty rats were randomly assigned into groups as: group 1, colitis with no pretreatment; group 2, leflunomide-treated colitis; group 3, leflunomidetreated no colitis, and group 4, controls. Distal colitis was induced in rats by intracolonic instillation of 4% acetic acid. Leflunomide (10 mg/kg) was administered intragastrically as two doses with an 8-h interval prior to the experiment. Colonic damage was assessed by macroscopic and histological criteria as well as biochemical markers. Bacterial translocation was also evaluated. Results and Conclusions: Acetic acid induced severe colitis while leflunomide pretreatment did not affect the macroscopic or microscopic histological scores in colitis. Macroscopic score was 3±1 in the leflunomide-treated and 2.2±1.1 in the untreated colitis group while histological scores were 3.2±2.4 and 3.2±1.3, respectively. There was no difference in mortality rates or bacterial translocation between groups. Early inhibition of NF-κB via leflunomide does not improve inflammation in acute colitis.