Effects of Interleukin-4 or Interleukin-10 gene therapy on trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced murine colitis

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by disturbance of pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Previous studies have demonstrated the effect of anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-10 (IL-10) or IL-4 on IBD, but their data were controversial. This study further investigated the effect of IL-4 (IL-4), IL-10 and their combination on treatment of trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced murine colitis. Methods: pcDNA3.0 carrying murine IL-4 or IL-10 cDNA was encapsulated with LipofectAMINE 2000 and intraperitoneally injected into mice with TNBS-induced colitis. The levels of intestinal IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA were confirmed by quantitative-RT-PCR. Inflamed tissues were assessed by histology and expression of interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and IL-6. Results: The data confirmed that IL-4 or IL-10 over-expression was successfully induced in murine colon tissues after intraperitoneal injection. Injections of IL-4 or IL-10 significantly inhibited TNBS-induced colon tissue damage, disease activity index (DAI) and body weight loss compared to the control mice. Furthermore, expression of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 was markedly blocked by injections of IL-4 or IL-10 plasmid. However, there was less therapeutic effect in mice injected with the combination of IL-4 and IL-10. Conclusions: These data suggest that intraperitoneal injection of IL-4 or IL-10 plasmid was a potential strategy in control of TNBS-induced murine colitis, but their combination had less effect.