Colitis in transgenic and knockout animals as models of human inflammatory bowel disease

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Abstract
Summary: Spontaneous colitis In knockout (KO) and transgenic rodents provides experimental models to study the development of mucosal inflammation and inflaminatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and interactive colitis). Genetic and environmental factors, particularly the normal enteric flora, are important factors in the development of mucosal inflammation. The normal mucosal homeostasis is disrupted when there is either cytokine imbalance, abrogation of oral tolerance, alteration of epithelial barrier and function or loss of immunoregulatory cells. Some but not all immunodeficiencies, in the appropriate setting, lead to colitis. CD4-’ T cells have been identified as the pathogenic T ceils in colitis, which mediate inflammation by either the Thl or the Th2 pathway. The Thi pathway dominates most colitis models and in Crohn's disease. In contrase. the colitis in TCRa KO mice shares many features of ulcerative colitis including the dominance of Th2 pathway in colonic inflammation. A major benefit of these models is in the development of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.