Name: systematic scoring analysis for intestinal inflammation in a murine dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis model
Uploaded: 2021-02-14T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Systematic Scoring Analysis for Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis Model at JoVE.com

The authors wish to acknowledge support from NIH funding DK055679, DK089763, DK079392, DK061739, DK072564 and the University of Michigan Pathology Slide Scanning Services.

All animal experiments described were approved by the University of Michigan&#39;s Committee on the Use and Care of Animals.
1. Tissue harvest
<ol>
	<li>Euthanize mice humanely using isoflurane anesthesia followed by cervical dislocation, in accordance with approved protocols. For all animal experiments, approval was obtained by a certified review board in accordance with the National and Institutional guidelines for animal handling.</li>
	<li>Place the mouse on a dissecting pad in a supine ...

<ol>
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Our Histological Colitis Score system constitutes a reliable tool to quantify tissue inflammation and damage in the intestine. This approach provides an improved understanding of the histopathological state of the whole organ without the bias of selecting small areas or incomplete sections. Among the critical steps to successfully execute this protocol are proper preparation of Swiss rolls that allow for analysis of at least 90% of the length of the colon; parallel orientation during paraffin embedding and sectioning to ...

The gastrointestinal epithelial barrier plays a pivotal role in separating luminal antigens and pathogens from underlying tissue compartments1. Epithelial injury and mucosal wounds seen in pathologic conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ischemia, or surgical injury are associated with clinical symptoms that include diarrhea, weight loss, blood in stool, and abdominal pain. In response to injury, epithelial cells migrate and proliferate to re-epithelialize and repair mucosal barrier defects. Resolution of inflammation and restitution of mucosal integrity are crucial to re-establishing intestinal mucosal homeostasis and function2,3,4.
Various animal models have been employed to study the underlying molecular mechanisms that are associated with the damage to the intestinal epithelial barrier. Well-established and easily applicable models of chemically induced colitis are widely used, particularly in studies related to inflammatory injury such as IBD. A common, reproducible, and reliable murine colitis model employs dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) mediated colonic injury and inflammation. The severity of disease varies depending upon mouse strain, dose of DSS, length of DSS administration, and molecular weight of DSS5,6,7.
Intestinal mucosal damage during DSS colitis is usually evaluated using the Disease Activity Index (DAI), a composite score determined by weight loss, fecal blood content, and stool consistency. The fecal blood content can be microscopic (detected using a stool guaiac acid test) or macroscopic; fecal consistency is classified as hard, soft, or liquid (i.e., diarrhea)5,8. Scoring of these clinical parameters can be subjective and may vary depending on the user&#39;s experience and bias, although overall, the data provides reliable information and is thus widely used by IBD researchers. In contrast, there is no generally accepted method for histological evaluation of mucosal damage. Most commonly, selected areas of the colon are inspected by a trained pathologist and scored based on several parameters that usually include crypt injury and leukocyte infiltration9,10,11. However, because the number of investigated parameters and the amount of tissue analyzed varies considerably between individual reports, comparability of many published studies is limited. To reduce observer bias and enhance inter-study concordance, an ideal histological scoring protocol should: 1) include the entire length of the colon, as intestinal mucosal inflammation is most often variable and skip lesions are common, 2) limit analysis to specific key and easily interpretable parameters to reduce subjectivity, 3) facilitate fast, consistent processing of large numbers of samples, and 4) use widely available and affordable tools for data acquisition, analysis and presentation.
Here we describe a technique to process the entire colon or long segments of the small intestine in a &#34;Swiss roll&#34; configuration along with the use of a free computer-assisted scoring system to analyze intestinal mucosal inflammation and damage because of DSS-induced colitis.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Aperio AT2 &#8211; High Volume, Digital Whole Slide Scanning</td>
			<td>Leica Biosystems</td>
			<td>Aperio AT2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Absorbent Underpads with waterproof moisture barrier</td>
			<td>VWR International</td>
			<td>56616-032</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>American Line 66-0089 Single Edge Blade, 100 per pkg</td>
			<td>GT Midwest</td>
			<td>TL5837</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BD Luer-Lok Disposable Syringes without Needles</td>
			<td>Fisher scientific</td>
			<td>14-823-2A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bonn Strabismus Scissors - ToughCut</td>
			<td>Fine Science tools</td>
			<td>11103-09</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bonn Strabismus Scissors - ToughCut</td>
			<td>Fine Science tools</td>
			<td>14084-09</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dumont #5 Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science tools</td>
			<td>11251-20</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Formalin solution, neutral buffered, 10%</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>HT501640-19L</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HistoPrep 70% Ea</td>
			<td>Fisherbran</td>
			<td>70% denatured ethyl alcohol</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ImageScope</td>
			<td>Aperio</td>
			<td>Version 12.3.3.5039</td>
			<td>http://www.leicabiosystems.com/pathology-imaging/aperio-epathology/integrate/imagescope/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LeakBuster Specimen Containers: Sterile</td>
			<td>Starplex Scientific</td>
			<td>B120210</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate-Buffere Saline, without calcium &#38; magnesium</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>21-040-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Plastic Feeding tubes, 20 GA x 30 mm</td>
			<td>Instech</td>
			<td>FTP2030</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PrecisionGlide Needle, Size: 20 G x 1 1/2 in</td>
			<td>BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)</td>
			<td>305176</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PrecisionGlide Needle, Size: 27 G x 1/2 in</td>
			<td>BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)</td>
			<td>305109</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Syringe, 10 ml</td>
			<td>BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)</td>
			<td>302995</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Unisette Tissue Cassettes</td>
			<td>Simport</td>
			<td>M505-2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

systematic scoring analysis for intestinal inflammation in a murine dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis model

Murine colitis models are tools that are extensively employed in studies focused on understanding the pathobiology of inflammatory intestinal disorders. However, robust standards for objective and reproducible quantification of disease severity remain to be defined. Most colitis analysis methods rely on limited histological scoring of small segments of intestine, leading to partial or biased analyses. Here, we combine high-resolution image acquisition and longitudinal analysis of the entire colon to quantify intestinal injury and ulceration in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced model of murine colitis. This protocol allows for the generation of objective and reproducible results without extensive user training. Here, we provide comprehensive details on sample preparation and image analysis using examples of data from DSS induced colitis. This method can be easily adapted to other models of murine colitis that have significant inflammation associated with mucosal injury. We demonstrate that the fraction of inflamed/injured and eroded/ulcerated mucosa relative to the complete length of the colon closely parallels clinical findings such as weight loss amid DSS-induced disease progression. This histological protocol provides a reliable time and cost-effective aid to standardize analyses of disease activity in an unbiased way in DSS colitis experiments.

To illustrate the reliability of this Histological Colitis Score Analysis in the context of mucosal damage after DSS challenge and subsequent recovery from colitis, we administered 2.5% DSS in the drinking water of eight 10 weeks old male C57BL6 wild type mice for 5 days followed by a recovery period with regular water for 5 days. There was no change in body weight during the acute administration of DSS, from day 0 to 5 (Figure 4A). Body weight dramatically d...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Systematic Scoring Analysis for Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis Model at JoVE.com

Systematic Scoring Analysis for Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis Model

Systematic scoring of intestinal inflammation using a free computer-assisted system is a powerful tool to quantitatively compare histopathological changes in colitis models characterized by the presence of ulcers and inflammatory changes. Histological colitis score evaluation strengthens clinical observations and facilitates data interpretation.

Murine colitis models are tools that are extensively employed in studies focused on understanding the pathobiology of inflammatory intestinal disorders. ...

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