Plecanatide and dolcanatide, novel guanylate cyclase-C agonists, ameliorate gastrointestinal inflammation in experimental models of murine colitis

Figure 6 Oral treatment with dolcanatide ameliorates gastrointestinal inflammation in the dextran sulfate sodium induced colitis in BDF1 mice. BDF1 mice (n = 8-10/group) were administered 5% DSS in drinking water to induce colitis. Dolcanatide was administered via oral gavage beginning a day before initiating the DSS regimen. Oral gavage with 5-ASA (100 mg/kg) and vehicle (phosphate buffer) served as positive and negative controls, respectively. At the end of the study, mice were euthanized and colon tissues were removed for histopathological analyses (see Materials and Methods section). Additional groups of mice were treated under identical conditions for measurement of MPO activity in colon tissues. The Figure depicts results for colitis severity (A), disease activity index (B), and MPO activity (C). Data represent mean ± SEM for each group. Statistical significance was calculated by comparing the values observed for the dolcanatide or 5-ASA-treated group vs the corresponding scores for the vehicle-treated group. DSS: Dextran sulfate sodium; GI: Gastrointestinal; MPO: Myeloperoxidase; SEM: Standard error of the mean; 5-ASA: 5-amino salicylic acid.