ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Sciences
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1643482
Development of a Refined Neonatal Rabbit Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis with Relatively Longer Survival
Provisionally accepted
- 1The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- 2Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- 3Affiliated PingXiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Pingxiang, China
- 4Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
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Objective: This study aimed to develop an animal model that closely replicates the clinical features of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), thereby providing a supportive platform for ongoing NEC research. Methods: 36 two-week-old neonatal suckling rabbits were randomly assigned to three groups: normal group (Group A, n = 12), traditional group (Group B, n = 12), and modified group (Group C, n = 12). Daily monitoring of general condition, post-modeling survival rate, and survival time was conducted in neonatal rabbits. Histopathological assessment of intestinal morphology was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining, with scoring conducted to evaluate modeling success. Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10), occludin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), and zonulin were quantified using ELISA. Protein expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 in intestinal tissues were analyzed via western blot. Results: Modified group exhibited significantly higher survival rates and prolonged survival time compared to traditional group (p < 0.05). Both model groups demonstrated elevated serum levels of CRP, TNF-α, IL-10, along with reduced concentrations of occluding, ZO-1 and zonulin when compared to normal group (p < 0.05). Similarly, intestinal expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 were significantly lower in both model groups relative to control (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between model groups in these parameters (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our study successfully established a novel neonatal rabbit model of NEC with prolonged survival time by refining conventional modeling methodologies, thereby providing a new platform for investigating NEC pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions.
Keywords: animal model, intestinal tissue, necrotizing enterocolitis, New Zealand rabbits, protein expression
Received: 09 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Guo, Lin, Wang, Wen, Yang and Lu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shiyun Lu, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
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