Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory chronic intestinal disease with pathological characteristics, including imbalanced immune function and the overexpression of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. Inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1, and IL-6) were oversecreted in UC condition. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin (PG)E2 were also overexpressed in colon tissue. Lingonberry (LB) (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) possesses pharmacological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-obesity effects. To explore LB’s effects on UC, BALB/c mice were administered with 3% (w/v) dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) and LB extract (70% ethanol) orally for nine days. The severity of UC was measured by the change in body weight and colon length. To evaluate LB’s regulatory effect on inflammatory cytokines, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to measure the inflammatory cytokines in mouse serum. Mouse peritoneal microphages were used to detect LB’s anti-inflammatory effect. The results showed that LB treatment ameliorated less weight loss and longer colon length compared to the DSS-treated group. LB treatment also ameliorated the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. These results indicated that LB has potential as an herbal medicine to treat UC.
Highlights
Inflammatory intestinal diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), have a high re-occurrence ratio
BALB/c mice were orally administered 3% dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) and LB 10 mg/kg, LB 100 mg/kg, and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) 50 mg/kg daily for nine days to regulate UC condition. 5-ASA was used as the positive control
In both LB groups, loss of body weight was attenuated compared to the DSS group (Figure 1a) (Blank group, 23.5 ± 0.80 g; DSS group, 20.3 ± 1.03 g; LB 10 group, 23.0 ± 0.26 g; LB 100 group, 22.6 ± 0.95 g; 5-ASA group, 22.0 ± 0.92 g)
Summary
Inflammatory intestinal diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), have a high re-occurrence ratio. These diseases cause chronic abnormal inflammation in intestinal tissues [1]. Genetics, and irregular lifestyles such as stress factors, alcoholism, or drug abuse increase a person’s probability of developing UC [2]. Major clinical symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and bloody stool causing inflammatory cell infiltration and colon length shortening. These symptoms can cause the life quality for UC patients to deteriorate [4].
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