Figure 6. The exaggerated colitis seen in the Sigirr −/− mice is attenuated by treatment with the IL-1R antagonist anakinra.

WT and Sigirr −/− mice were intra-peritoneally injected twice with anakinra (1 mg/mouse) each day for 6 days, or with PBS during C. rodentium infection. Anakinra treatment did not impact on pathogen burdens in infected mice (A) however treatment with anakinra ameliorated macroscopic ulceration in infected Sigirr −/− mice (B–C) along with reducing edema and improving epithelial integrity (D–E). Immunostaining for the proliferation marker Ki-67 demonstrated treatment with anakinra reduced the elevated IEC proliferation observed in Sigirr −/− mice (F). Pathogen counts represent mucosal associated bacteria. Results are pooled from 2 independent infections each with n = 3–4 per group. Error bars = SEM, (Student t test (Figure A, C), *P<0.05, **P<0.01). Images were taken at 200× magnification.