Natural compounds as safe therapeutic options for ulcerative colitis

Vijay Mishra,Mukta Gupta,Monica Gulati,Amrinder Kaur,Murtaza M Tambuwala,Reena Gupta,Bhupinder Kapoor

doi:10.1007/s10787-022-00931-1

Vijay Mishra, Mukta Gupta + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-022-00931-1

Copy DOI

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. Several conventional treatments for UC such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, tumor necrosis factor antagonist, integrin blockers, and interleukin antagonist, and salicylates are available but are associated with the various limitations and side-effects. None of the above treatments helps to achieve the ultimate goal of the therapy, i.e., maintenance of remission in the long-term. Natural remedies for the treatment of UC show comparatively less side effects as compared to conventional approaches, and affordable. The current review presents details on the role of herbal drugs in the treatment and cure of UC. Google, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus portals have been searched for potentially relevant literature to get the latest developments and updated information related to use of natural drugs in the treatment of UC. Natural products have been used over centuries to treat UC. Some of the essential herbal constituents exhibiting antiulcerogenic activity include gymnemic acid (Gymnema sylvestre), shagoal (Zingiber officinale), catechin (Camellia sinensis), curcumin (Curcuma longa), arctigenin (Arctium lappa), and boswellic acid (Boswellia serrata). Although many plant-derived products have been recommended for UC, further research to understand the exact molecular mechanism is still warranted to establish their usefulness clinically.

Highlights

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, more than 80% of the world’s population relies on the traditional system of medicine for their health problems (World Health Organization 2019)
Liu et al explored the therapeutic potential of tea polyphenols in dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice, and the results indicated that they ameliorated intestinal inflammation and modulated gut microbiota (Liu et al 2020)
Numerous conventional and non-conventional treatment options are available for UC, all of these suffer from various drawbacks such as safety, efficacy, and high cost

Summary

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, more than 80% of the world’s population relies on the traditional system of medicine for their health problems (World Health Organization 2019). The significant adverse effects of corticosteroids include edema, moon face, acne, mood disturbances, adrenal suppression, congenital fetal abnormalities, cushingoid face, gastric ulceration, and osteoporosis Their long-term use may cause ocular side effects because of steroid-induced cataract and hyperglycemia, and chances of severe relapse have been reported (Hanauer 2008; Kondamudi et al 2013; Nunes et al 2013). Herbal products are being used worldwide for their therapeutic potential in various ailments The phytoconstituents such as catechins, flavonoids, terpenes, alkaloids, anthocyanins, quinines, and anthoxanthins having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, can modulate the expression of proinflammatory signals and are considered potential agents for the treatment of UC (Zhang et al 2006). It is further reported to inhibit ROS by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated human neutrophils (Wan et al 2014)

Summary

Findings

Concluding remarks and future perspectives