Chemically induced mouse models of colitis.

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), both of which are referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract that have characteristic clinical, pathological, endoscopic, and radiologic features. Knowledge about the pathogenesis of IBD has dramatically increased in recent years based in part on the use of experimental models of IBD. Although none of these models exactly mimics the human disorder, they have proven to be useful for studying many important aspects of these conditions. Detailed in this unit is a description of the most commonly used chemically induced mouse models of IBD. These include trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS), oxazolone, and acute or chronic dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitis models.