The role of transient mucosal ischemia in acetic acid-induced colitis in the rat

The importance of early microcirculatory changes in the rat colon after exposure to acetic acid was investigated. Administration of 4% acetic acid for 15 sec into an exteriorized colonic segment induced a marked, transient (starting 2 min after the challenge with acetic acid and persisting for 15 min) decrease in the colonic blood flow as estimated by a laser-Doppler flowmeter. Four days after acetic acid administration, a uniform colitis had developed in the exteriorized colonic segment with a total morphological score (TMS) of 15.1 +/- 0.8, myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) increased more than threefold, and plasma exudation into the colonic lumen increased sevenfold. Administration of hydrochloric acid (HCl) with the same pH as the acetic acid or sodium acetate (pH 7.0) did not affect colonic blood flow or produce colitis. Mechanical colonic ischemia, induced by a controlled increase in the intraluminal pressure, resulted in several pathological features of colitis with a TMS of 7.3 +/- 0.2, combined with a significant increase in MPO activity. The TMS and MPO were further increased when mechanical colonic ischemia was combined with HCl or sodium acetate. Pretreatment with SOD and catalase 5 or 15 min before acetic acid administration did not affect the transient ischemia immediately following acetic acid administration. However, it partially prevented the development of colitis. It is concluded that immediate transient ischemia accompanied by the generation of oxygen free radicals might be of importance in the pathogenesis of acetic acid-induced colitis in the rat. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.