Spatial mapping of dextran sodium sulphate-induced intestinal inflammation and its systemic effects
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial disease and patients frequently experience extraintestinal manifestations affecting multiple sites. Causes of systemic inflammation remain poorly understood but molecules originating from the intestine likely play a role with microbial and host small molecules polarizing host immune cells towards a pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotype. Using the dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) mouse model, which mimics models the disrupted barrier function in IBD, microbial dysbiosis and immune cell dysregulation in IBD, we investigated metabolomic and phenotypic changes at intestinal and systemic sites. Through mass spectrometry imaging we mapped the spatial distribution and relative abundance of molecules and cell types across a range of tissues during colitis. This approach revealed specific molecular changes across a range of organs including the colon, ileum, liver, spleen and kidney, while no molecular changes were observed in the lungs of DSS-tre