Methanol leaf extract of Cassia tora ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in BALB/c mice

Abstract

There is a need to find better and safer remedy for ulcerative colitis (UC) than available drugs to stem the rising incidence of the disease. This study assessed the anti-ulcerative colitis efficacy of Cassia tora (CT) leaf, a safe medicinal plant used to treat many diseases including but not limited to ulcer, dyspepsia, gastritis and colitis. Twenty adult male BALB/c mice were divided into four groups of 5 mice each. Group 1 was the control; groups 2 through 4 were exposed to 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) via drinking water for 5 days to induce UC. Mice in groups 3 and 4 were then administered with 400 mg/kg of CT and 50 mg/kg of azathioprine, respectively, for 14 days, while group 2 was non-treated. The mice were afterward sacrificed for gross pathological, histopathological, and biochemical examinations. Compared with non-treated, CT and azathioprine significantly (p≤0.05) reversed pathologies associated with UC such as diarrhea and bleeding, loss of body weight, shortening of colon, increased colon weight/length ratio, and increased disease activity index (DAI) score. Histopathological examination showed that CT and azathioprine restored damaged colon tissues of the UC-induced mice compared with non-treated. Similar trends were also observed in the biochemical examination as mice treated with CT and azathioprine significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and catalase (CAT) activity compared with non-treated. In all health indices evaluated, CT performed better than azathioprine. It can be inferred from the results that CT possesses potent anti-ulcerative colitis properties.