Research paperEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for S100A9 in the stool of rats with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis

- A novel ELISA was developed for the detection of rat S100A9.
- This ELISA showed good performance, linearity, and sensitivity.
- S100A9 levels increased rapidly after induction of colitis in rats.
- This ELISA is more effective in detecting rat colitis than disease activity index

Calprotectin, a heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9, has been reported to be a useful biomarker in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the relationship between the fecal level of S100A9 and the extent of inflammation in IBD remains unclear. Our aim was to develop a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for rat S100A9, and to investigate whether changes in fecal S100A9 levels reflect the inflammatory conditions in the intestinal tracts of rats with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Anti-rat S100A9 monoclonal antibodies were raised in mice and used for the development of a novel ELISA for rat S100A9. The performance of our ELISA was assessed by dilution and recovery tests, and the detection range was 3.75-240 ng/mL. The dilution test showed good linearity. The recovery of fecal S100A9 was 95.1% (mean), with a range of 86.1%-108.8%. Colitis was induced in rats by oral administration of 3% DSS/drinking water (DW) for 11 days (D group), while DW alone was provided to rats of the control group (C group) during the same period. The extent of inflammation was evaluated with the disease activity index (DAI), and the concentration of fecal S100A9 was determined by ELISA. Both the DAI scores and the fecal S100A9 levels were significantly higher in the D group than in the C group. Microscopic observation revealed that S100A9 was dominantly produced in many immune cells of myeloid origin in rat rectal tissues. These results indicate that the novel ELISA may be applied to clinically evaluate IBD in rats with high sensitivity. In conclusion, our ELISA is useful in toxicological and pharmacological evaluations.