{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T16:03:19Z","timestamp":1791820999865,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765497600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100014188","name":"National Research Foundation of Korea","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2021M3A9G1015618"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2021M3A9G1015618"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100014188","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003710","name":"Korea Health Industry Development Institute","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["HR16C0001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["HR16C0001"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003710","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, marked by persistent mucosal inflammation and structural damage. We evaluated the efficacy of HCB-5300 and HCB-5400, novel selective STAT3 allosteric inhibitors, in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis. Colitis was induced in C57BL\/6 mice using 3% DSS in water for 5 d. HCB-5300 (25 mg\/kg) or HCB-5400 (12.5 mg\/kg) was administered orally during induction. Disease progression was assessed using the disease activity index (DAI), considering body weight, stool consistency, and rectal bleeding. Colon length and histopathological analyses were used to evaluate mucosal integrity and inflammatory damage. Interleukin (IL)-6 levels were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and kidney pathology was assessed for systemic effects. HCB-5300 and HCB-5400 significantly mitigated DSS-induced colitis, as evidenced by reduced body weight loss, improved DAI scores, preserved colon length, and decreased mucosal damage and inflammation in the treated mice. IL-6 levels were significantly lower in both treatment groups, indicating effective STAT3 inhibition. HCB-5400 exhibited superior efficacy for most parameters. HCB-5300 and HCB-5400 are potent and selective STAT3 allosteric inhibitors with notable anti-inflammatory effects. HCB-5400\u2019s efficacy underscores its potential as a therapeutic candidate for managing inflammatory flares in IBD.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms262411981","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T12:52:31Z","timestamp":1765543951000},"page":"11981","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Selective STAT3 Allosteric Inhibitors HCB-5300 and HCB-5400 Alleviate Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2501-4439","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wook-Young","family":"Baek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2827-0884","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ji-Won","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"So-Won","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nan","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Huchembio, Room 807, Golden I-Tower, 570-6 Dongtan-giheung-ro, Hwaseong 18469, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sun-Gyo","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6156-393X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chang-Hee","family":"Suh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2769","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(17)32448-0","article-title":"Worldwide incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in the 21st century: A systematic review of population-based studies","volume":"390","author":"Ng","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"307","DOI":"10.1038\/nature10209","article-title":"Genetics and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease","volume":"474","author":"Khor","year":"2011","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1038\/s41575-020-00360-x","article-title":"The four epidemiological stages in the global evolution of inflammatory bowel disease","volume":"18","author":"Kaplan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat. 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