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World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2014; 20(27): 9106-9115
Published online Jul 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i27.9106
Published online Jul 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i27.9106
Mast cell deficiency exacerbates inflammatory bowel symptoms in interleukin-10-deficient mice
Hanying Zhang, Yansong Xue, Mei-Jun Zhu, School of Food Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States
Hanying Zhang, Hui Wang, Yan Huang, Department of Animal Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, United States
Min Du, Qiyuan Yang, Department of Animal Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States
Author contributions: Zhang H performed research; Xue Y, Wang H, Huang Y and Yang Q contributed analytic tools; Zhang H and Zhu MJ analyzed data; Zhang H, Du M and Zhu MJ wrote the paper.
Supported by USDA-AFRI, No. 2009-65203-05716; NIH, No. 1R15HD073864; and NIH-INBRE, No. P20RR016474
Correspondence to: Dr. Mei-Jun Zhu, School of Food Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States. meijun.zhu@wsu.edu
Telephone: +1-509-3354016 Fax: +1-509-3354815
Received: December 6, 2013
Revised: January 7, 2014
Accepted: March 5, 2014
Published online: July 21, 2014
Revised: January 7, 2014
Accepted: March 5, 2014
Published online: July 21, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Colitis is characterized by chronic inflammation and mast cells accumulate at the pathological sites, implicating their mediating roles, but the exact roles of mast cells in colitis remain poorly defined and controversial. In this study, the authors cross-bred mast cell-deficient mice with interleukin-10-deficient mice to investigate the role of mast cells in gut inflammation and the onset of colitis. Data show that mast cells have protective roles in the development of colitis by suppressing Th1 type immune response and inflammation, altering gut microbiota composition, improving gut epithelial barrier function, and reducing epithelial damage.