Minireviews
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World J Clin Cases. Feb 26, 2021; 9(6): 1251-1258
Published online Feb 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i6.1251
Animal models of cathartic colon
Yang-Yang Meng, Qiao-Dong Li, Ya Feng, Jie Liu, En-Kang Wang, Linda Zhong, Qiao-Li Sun, Jian-Ye Yuan
Yang-Yang Meng, Qiao-Dong Li, Ya Feng, Jie Liu, En-Kang Wang, Linda Zhong, Qiao-Li Sun, Jian-Ye Yuan, Institute of Digestive Diseases, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China
Linda Zhong, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Author contributions: Meng YY performed the majority of the writing; Li QD, Feng Y, Liu J, Wang EK, and Sun QL performed data collection and analysis and manuscript writing; Zhong L revised the writing; Yuan JY provided ideas, designed the outline and revised the manuscript.
Supported by Xinglin Scholar, Xinglin Young Talent Program, No. RC-2017-02-07; Shanghai Three-year Action Plan for Accelerating the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. ZY (2018-2020)-CCCX-2002-01; and Research Fund of Longhua Hospital, No. 2018YM05.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest to report.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian-Ye Yuan, MD, PhD, Professor, Institute of Digestive Diseases, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 725 South Wanping Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200032, China. yuanjianye@hotmail.com
Received: October 21, 2020
Peer-review started: October 21, 2020
First decision: November 3, 2020
Revised: November 10, 2020
Accepted: December 22, 2020
Article in press: December 22, 2020
Published online: February 26, 2021
Abstract

The incidence of cathartic colon has been increasing, but satisfactory treatments are still lacking. In order to study the pathological mechanisms of the disorder and identify effective treatment methods, researchers have established different animal models of cathartic colon. This minireview briefly summarizes several common cathartic colon animal models, induced with anthraquinone laxatives such as rhubarb, total anthraquinone, rhein, and emodin, or induced with diphenylmethane laxatives such as phenolphthalein. The advantages and limitations of these models are evaluated and analyzed. We hope that this review will facilitate the selection of suitable models and improve relevant modeling methods. We anticipate the development of more convenient and stable models that can reflect the characteristics of cathartic colon in humans, and serve as useful tools for further studies.

Keywords: Cathartic colon, Animal model, Laxative, Anthraquinones, Diphenylmethane, Constipation

Core Tip: To our knowledge, this is the first review on various cathartic colon animal models. In this minireview, the experimental animals, agents, and methods frequently used to establish cathartic colon animal models are summarized for reference.