Nimesulide induces differentiation in crypt‐villus epithelial cell axis

Abstract

The role of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor beta/delta (PPARβ/d) is not known but is believed to involve modulation of inflammation and mediation of differentiation in high‐turnover cell populations such as the intestinal epithelium. Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors are anti‐inflammatory agents that affect proliferation in intestinal epithelial cells. This study examined the effect of COX‐inhibitor treatment on PPARβ/d expression and differentiation by immunohistochemical methods following treatment with the selective COX inhibitor nimesulide and found that PPARβ/δ expression is induced in the cytoplasm in crypt cells after 24 hours of treatment, the typical pattern of expression that was observed in untreated differentiated villous cells but not in untreated crypt cells. In addition, the differentiation marker Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) was expressed in greater parts of nimesulide‐treated crypt compared to the basal expression typically seen in untreated crypts indicating that nimesulide induces differentiation in crypt cells in the small intestine. Supported by the UCD School of Medicine/SSRA Research Scheme.