Objective: To explore the feasibility of establishing an animal model of chronic gastrointestinal mucosal injury in tree shrews.
Methods: Twelve adult male tree shrews were randomly divided into three groups. The experimental group 1 and group 2 were treated with 2mg/(kg · d) and 1mg/(kg · d) of 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP, Gastrointestinal morphology and histopathological changes were observed under microscope.
Results: The body weight and the content of dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid in the model group decreased significantly, and gastric antrum, gastric body and duodenum had pathological changes to varying degrees, but there was no significant difference between the 2mg/kg and 1mg/kg dose groups, and there was no significant change in the control group.
Conclusion: Long term, low dose intraperitoneal injection of MPTP is a feasible method to establish a tree shrew model of chronic gastrointestinal mucosal damage. The optimal injection dose is 2mg/(kg · d).