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Animal Models

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Methods

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Division of Comparative Medicine

Selected Grantee Publications

Local Tissue Response to a C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 12 Therapy for Fecal Incontinence in a Rabbit Model

Ruetten et al., American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. 2025.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39745592

Obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) occurs in 2–7% of vaginal childbirths. Surgical interventions for OASI are suboptimal, with 30% of women reporting continued reduction in quality of life due to long-term fecal incontinence. Researchers used a 4- to 5-month-old female New Zealand white rabbit model for OASI to determine whether local C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) injection reduces postinjury pathologies. Treatment with CXCL12 significantly reduced fibrosis. Untreated rabbits demonstrated reduced distinction of anal sphincter skeletal muscle layering and significantly increased the amount of fibrosis. Treatment with CXCL12 did not affect recruitment of CD34+ cells, the number of PAX7+ satellite cells, or innervation and vascularization of skeletal muscle. This pilot study demonstrates the potential of a novel therapeutic for OASI. Supported by ORIP (T32OD010957).

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) Disrupts Intestinal Barrier Integrity in Translational Canine Stem Cell-Derived Monolayers

Nagao et al., Microbiology Spectrum. 2024.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39162490/

EHEC produces Shiga toxin, which causes acute colitis with symptoms such as hemolytic uremic syndrome and bloody diarrhea. The researchers developed a colonoid-derived monolayer model to understand EHEC’s impact on canine gut health. Colonoid-derived monolayers co-cultured with EHEC demonstrated key differences compared with the control and nonpathogenic E. coli co-cultures. Scanning electron microscopy displayed EHEC aggregated and attached to the microvilli. EHEC-infected monolayers demonstrated significantly weakened membrane integrity and increased inflammatory cytokine production, specifically TNFα. The researchers developed a novel in vitro model that offers an additional platform for understanding the mechanisms of EHEC pathogenicity, developing therapeutics for EHEC, and studying additional enteric pathogens. Supported by ORIP (K01OD030515, R21OD031903).