AIM To observe the therapeutic effect of colloidal bismuth tartrate in an animal colitis model.METHODS Immune-complex colitis was induced in groups of rabbits by formalin, and two hours later0.85 mL heat-aggregated rabbit IgG was given intravenously through the ear cannula. Animals wereintracolonically treated with colloidal bismuth tartrate (BITNAL), and its effect was compared withsulfasalazine (SASP), indomethacin (IND) and bifidobiogen (BIFG). Animals were killed, the mucosalappearance was scored (0-4), and tissue saved for histological studies, the number of neutrophils present ininflamed colonic tissue was quantitated by the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity assay, the production oflipoxygenase and cyclo-oxygenase products was monitored and eicosanoid production were assayed byincubation colonic specimens and the media for prostaglandin E2(PGE2), leukotriene (LTB4), thromboxaneB2(TXPe) were examined by radiommunoassay.RESULTS Immune-complex colitis was induced by formalin and IgG, colonic damage persisted for at least1 wk by macrography. Histologically, the inflammatory response included mucosal and submucosalinfiltration by polymorphonuclear leukocytes, macrophages, lymphocytes and fibroblasts, the macroscopic,persent 2 wk after IgG, was correlated with greatly increased PGE2, LTB4 and TXB2 compared with levels incontrols. Treatment with BITNAL (500 mg/kg) resulted in a lowered inflammation index, lowered MPOactivity and inhibited the increased formation of PGF-2, LTB4 and TXB2 by the inflamed colon, and IND(500 mg/kg) markedly inhibited prostanoid formation in both inflamed and control colon but did not reducetissue damage, SASP (500 mg/kg) also inhibited the formation of PGE2, LTB4 and TXB2 but the effectswere less marked. BIFG (400 mg/kg) did not significantly reduce the colonic injury and the media sythesizedby the rabbit colon.CONCLUSION BITAL provides better therapeutic effects in experimental colitis than anti-inflammatorydrug IND or SASP.