Sulphasalazine fails to prevent development of mucosal ulceration and 5-lipoxygenase activity in guinea-pigs with chronic inflammatory bowel disease induced by combined bacterial immunization and oral carrageenin.

A model of inflammatory bowel disease in guinea-pigs involving a 14 day initial treatment with formalin-killed Bacteroides vulgatus subcutaneously and oral carrageenin plus live B. vulgatus for 10 days was used to determine the effects of sulphasalazine 100 mg kg-1 day-1 b.i.d., p.o. given for 4, 7 and 10 days after cessation of the bacterial/carrageenin treatment on the morphological and histological states of the established disease and on the production of the principal 5-lipoxygenase products, 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and leukotriene B4. The drug treatment did not cause any significant changes in this established disease as measured by these parameters.