Protective effects of colchicine in an experimental model of necrotizing enterocolitis in neonatal rats.

Abstract Background The pathophysiology of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) includes the massive production of endogenous cytokines with exaggerated activation of inflammatory pathways. Colchicine has been used as an anti-inflammatory agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible beneficial effects of colchicine in a neonatal rat model of NEC. Materials and methods We randomly divided rat pups into three groups: a control group, a saline-treated NEC group, and a colchicine-treated NEC group. We induced NEC by hyperosmolar enteral formula feeding and exposure to hypoxia/reoxygenation after cold stress. Intestinal samples were harvested for biochemical and histopathologic analyses. Results The grade of intestinal injury of pups in the saline-treated NEC group was significantly higher than in the control and colchicine-treated groups ( P P  = 0.006) or the colchicine-treated NEC group ( P  = 0.015). We observed significantly higher activity levels of intestinal superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the colchicine-treated NEC group compared with the saline-treated NEC group ( P  = 0.033 and 0.030, respectively). The tissue levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β were significantly higher in the saline-treated NEC group compared with the colchicine-treated NEC group ( P Conclusions We observed that in this model of NEC, colchicine had favorable effects on intestinal histologic and biochemical changes.