We have measured over time the weight loss, disease symptoms (weight loss; stool consistency, rectal prolapse, rectal bleeding; spine curvature) and colon histological changes (leukocyte infiltration, goblet cell depletion, epithelial hyperplasia, crypt size, and submucosal inflammation and ulceration) after H&E staining in 2% DSS treated 8–12-week-old C57bl6/j mouse. Colon histological changes have been studied at day 8, the point of higher weight loss before weight recovery (DSS for 5 days+3 days of water).

We have compared a control group versus our group of study (Study-group).

After independently repeating the experiments several times, we have consistently observed:

-no differences in weight loss overtime between groups

-statistically significant REDUCTION of disease symptoms in the study group

-but significant INCREASE in colon histological damage in the study group (particularly in leukocyte infiltration, goblet cell depletion, crypt damage and ulcerations).

It is well stablished the correlation between disease symptoms and colon histological damage, but we have not observed this effect this time.

Could you help me to explain this discrepancy?

What could be the mechanisms related to these two different effects?

Do you know any reference in the literature explaining this potential contradictory results?

Attending to our results, do you think that our study group is suffering from less or increased IBD?

For the interest of the IBD in patients, is it more important to reduce the symptomatology or improve the tissue damage? How could we study these two points in our model? Any recommendation?

Thank you

Sincerely

Jose Maria