Drug treatment and assessment of DSS-induced colitis
For the induction of DSS-induced experimental colitis, C57BL/6 mice were
randomly divided into four groups, including a normal control group, a
vehicle control group, and two drug treatment groups (60 mg/kg PHI and
20 mg/kg PHI). The normal group received sterile water throughout the
experiment, while the other groups were given 2% DSS for 7 days and
followed by a 3-day recovery period on regular drinking water. During
the experiment, the body-weight loss ratio, stool consistency and rectal
bleeding were assessed daily according to the described criterion (see
Table 1). The total score of these parameters represents the disease
activity index (DAI). On day 10, mice were anesthetized using
intraperitoneal injection of 4% chloral hydrate. The peripheral blood,
colon, and mesenteric lymph nodes were collected for subsequent
analysis.
Table 1. Criteria for DAI: weight loss, stool consistency and fecal
blood