Abstract
Aim This study is aimed at investigating the effect of Shogaol, a phenolic constituent of ginger, on dextran sodium sulfate- (DSS-) induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice in comparison with 6-thioguanine (6-TG), an immune-suppressant chemotherapeutic medicine used for treatment of ulcerative colitis. Material & Methods Thirty-six adult, male and female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into six groups: group 1 (control negative) not exposed to DSS and did not receive any treatment, group 2 (control positive) exposed to DSS but did not receive any treatment, group 3 exposed to DSS and treated by 0.1 mg/kg of 6-thioguanine, and groups 4, 5, and 6 exposed to DSS and treated by 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg b.w. Shogaol, respectively. At day 56, the mice were checked for their disease activity index (DAI) and they were sacrificed. The colons of the mice were examined for length measurement, histological index score, and the expression of CD133 and CD34 stem cell markers. Results Shogaol showed a better curative effect than did 6-TG in repairing the colonic mucosal damages in DSS-exposed mice as indicated by the levels of CD133 and CD34 expression in the colonic crypts and by the DAI score, colon length measurements, & histological index score which were significantly reduced in mice treated by Shogaol, particularly the 20 and 40 mg/kg BW doses. Conclusion The results of this study indicated that oral treatment with the ginger-derived substance Shogaol could be better than the conventional immunosuppressive chemotherapeutic remedy 6-TG in treatment of DSS-induced UC.
Highlights
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum characterized by bloody diarrhea, intestinal mucosal ulceration, and infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocytes within the mucosal layer [1, 2]
Many of the therapeutic agents classically used for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC), such as 6-thioguanine, are immunosuppressants, and because UC commonly develops in elderly patients, there is a real risk of complications due to infection [8]
BW shogaol, respectively) as indicated by the disease activity index (DAI) score and colon length measurements which were lower than those of the mice in the control positive group. These results are compatible with the findings of another related work, achieved by the authors [32], dealt with using the Shogaol for treatment of acute ulcerative colitis and showed that this compound has protected the mice against body weight loss caused by dextran sodium sulfate- (DSS-)induced colitis and has resulted in a significant reduction in DAI score due to its anti-inflammatory effect as indicated by the decrease in expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor in the colonic tissue sections
Summary
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum characterized by bloody diarrhea, intestinal mucosal ulceration, and infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocytes within the mucosal layer [1, 2]. Multiple causes such as environmental changes, gene variations, and gut microbes were supposed to be associated with UC etiology [3, 4]. DSS-induced colitis, a form of UC model in terms of morphological and pathophysiological features [5, 6], has been generally used experimentally to evaluate the therapeutic effects and to realize the molecular basis of action of new compounds to be used for the treatment of UC [5, 7]. A compound found in the rhizome of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) [11, 12], has been extensively reported for its numerous pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties [13, 14]
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