Peyer's patches play a protective role in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced enteropathy in mice.

BACKGROUND: Peyer's patches (PPs) play a major role in mucosal immunity. However, their roles in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced enteropathy are poorly understood.

METHODS: Wild-type (WT) and PP-null mice were injected with indomethacin. Twenty-four hours later, the cellular profiles and cytokine levels in the PPs, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), and lamina propria (LP) of the small intestine were measured. WT and PP-null mice were given antibiotics before indomethacin treatment to evaluate enteropathy. Naive CD4 T cells were co-cultured with CD103 or CD103 dendritic cells (DCs) to analyze the interleukin (IL)-10 expression levels. Finally, WT mice adoptively transferred with CD103 or CD103 DCs were injected with indomethacin.

RESULTS: The proportion of CD103 DCs in PPs and MLNs and IL-10-expressing CD4 T cells of PPs and the LP increased after indomethacin treatment. The PP-null mice showed greater indomethacin-induced enteropathy, fewer CD103 DCs in their MLNs, and lower proportion of IL-10-expressing CD4 T cells of their LP than WT mice, regardless of commensal bacteria. Naive splenic CD4 T cells co-cultured with CD103 DCs isolated from the MLNs of indomethacin-injected WT mice produced a higher amount of IL-10 compared with those co-cultured with CD103 DCs. Moreover, WT mice that received CD103 DCs showed milder enteropathy than those that received CD103 DCs.

CONCLUSIONS: PPs play a protective role in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced enteropathy, and this protection is associated with an increase in CD103 DCs and IL-10-producing CD4 T cells in the intestine, independent of the commensal bacteria.