| Abstract: | Glucocorticosteroids (GCS) are effective intreatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but alsohave unwanted systemic side effects. Here, we describethe effects of budesonide and dexamethasone on acute experimental colitis and on T cells inthymus and spleen, as well as the effect of budesonidetreatment on relapsing colitis. Acute colitis wasinduced by intracolonic administration of2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) in ethanol, and a relapsewas induced by an intraperitoneal booster of TNBS. GCSwere administered intrarectally on days 1, 4, and 6after induction of acute colitis or a relapse.Inflammatory cells in the colon were studied on day 7, andin acute colitis also on days 13 and 16. Budesonidetreatment in acute and relapsing colitis resulted inreduction of macroscopic damage and decreased thenumbers of macrophages and neutrophils in the colon.Dexamethasone was less effective. Dexamethasone, but notbudesonide, reduced the number of T cells in the thymus.It is concluded that local budesonide is more effective in treatment of acute experimentalcolitis than dexamethasone and, in contrast todexamethasone, did not cause a general suppression of Tcells. Although budesonide was very effective in thetreatment of relapsing colitis, this effect was notaccomplished by affecting the number of T cells in thecolon. |
