RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Efficacy of Keratinocyte Growth Factor-2 in Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Murine Colitis JF Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO J Pharmacol Exp Ther FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 464 OP 471 VO 290 IS 1 A1 Renée Miceli A1 Melissa Hubert A1 Gemma Santiago A1 Da-Lin Yao A1 Timothy A. Coleman A1 Kathleen A. Huddleston A1 Kevin Connolly YR 1999 UL http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/290/1/464.abstract AB The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a novel human protein, keratinocyte growth factor-2 (KGF-2), in a model of murine colitis induced by ad libitum exposure to a 4% solution of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in the drinking water. Initial evaluation of KGF-2 was based on its ability to reduce weight loss, stool score, and histological score in mice exposed to DSS for 7 days. When KGF-2 (0.1–10.0 mg/kg i.p. or s.c.) was injected daily into DSS-treated mice from day 0 to 7, it significantly reduced all three parameters in a dose-response fashion, with a minimum effective dose of between 1 and 3 mg/kg. When KGF-2 was given therapeutically, starting 4 days after initiation of the 7-day DSS treatment, the 3- but not the 0.5-mg/kg dose significantly enhanced weight recovery after discontinuation of DSS treatment. When DSS treatment was prolonged beyond the normal 7 days, therapeutic intervention on day 2 or 4 also significantly reduced mortality, weight loss, and stool score at the 1- and 3-mg/kg dose. Therapeutic treatment also resulted in reduction of colon myloperoxidase levels by more than 50%. These experiments suggest that KGF-2 may be clinically useful in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics