Azathioprine Has a Deleterious Effect on the Bone Health of Mice with DSS-Induced Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Morgan, Stephanie; Hooper, Kirsty M.; Milne, Elspeth M.; Farquharson, Colin; Stevens, Craig; Staines, Katherine A.

Abstract

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often present poor bone health and are 40% more at risk of bone fracture. Studies have implicated autophagy in IBD pathology and drugs used to treat IBD stimulate autophagy in varying degrees, however, their effect on the skeleton is currently unknown. Here, we have utilised the dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) model of colitis in mice to examine the effects of the thiopurine drug azathioprine on the skeleton. 10-week-old male mice (n=6/group) received 3.0% DSS in their drinking water for 4 days, followed by a 14-day recovery period. Mice were treated with 10mg/kg/day azathioprine or vehicle control. Histopathological analysis of the colon from DSS mice revealed significant increases in scores for inflammation severity, extent and crypt damage (P

Citation

Morgan, S., Hooper, K. M., Milne, E. M., Farquharson, C., Stevens, C., & Staines, K. A. (2019). Azathioprine Has a Deleterious Effect on the Bone Health of Mice with DSS-Induced Inflammatory Bowel Disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(23), Article 6085. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20236085

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 28, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Dec 3, 2019
• Publication Date: Dec 3, 2019
• Deposit Date: Nov 28, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 28, 2019
• Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Print ISSN: 1661-6596
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 23
• Article Number: 6085
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20236085
• Keywords: Bone; inflammatory bowel disease; autophagy; colitis; osteoporosis; azathioprine
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2354617