The Model of Crohn’s Disease on Large Laboratory Animals — Pigs

Dissatisfactory results of treating inflammatory bowel disease require the development of new modern methods of therapy.

The aim of the study is to create a model of Crohn’s disease on large animals, in which ulcerative defects can be formed, for testing new treatment techniques and assessing their effectiveness by endoscopic and morphological methods.

Materials and Methods. The model was created and tested on 12 castrated male pigs (hybrids between the Wiesenau and the Vietnamese black potbellied pigs), aged 6 months. The animals were manipulated under general sedation in the operating room of the SPF-vivarium for large laboratory animals at Privolzhsky Research Medical University (Russia). Endoscopic techniques and a high-frequency electrosurgical apparatus were used to create the required defects. The results were assessed endoscopically and with histological and morphometrical techniques on days 7, 14, and 21.

Results. The morphological examination of the pigs’ intestinal mucous membrane has detected the signs typical of Crohn’s disease, demonstrating the possibility of using pigs as a model of ulcerative defects in Crohn’s disease.

Conclusion. This model of Crohn’s disease on large animals (pigs, in particular) significantly widens the borders of using new treatment techniques at the preclinical stage and will improve therapy effectiveness in patients with this disease reducing the risk of surgical intervention.

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