Animals and ethical statement
110 BALB/c female mice (aged 7 weeks on arrival) were obtained
from Charles River (Saint-Germain-sur-l’Arbresle, France). Groups
of 10 mice were used for the respective conditions in the two
distinct colitis models (i.e. DSS and TNBS), the animals being
divided randomly into groups of five and housed in a controlled
environment (a temperature of 22 C, a 12 h/12 h light/dark cycle
and with ad libitum access to food and water). All animal experi-
ments were performed according to the guidelines of the Institut
Pasteur de Lille Animal Care and Use Committee and in compliance
with the Amsterdam Protocol on Animal Protection and Welfare
and with Directive 86/609/EEC on the Protection of Animals Used
for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes (updated in the
Council of Europe's Appendix A). The animal work also complied
with French legislation (French Law no. 87e848, dated 19-10-1987)
and the European Communities Amendment of the Cruelty to An-
imals Act 1976. The study's objectives and procedures were
approved by the Ethics and Welfare Committee for Experiments on
Animals in Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France (approval numbers:
19/2009R and 21/2009R).