Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and disrupted inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD have two main conditions, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and have been extensively investigated in recent years. Antibiotics derived from salicylates, steroids, immunosuppressors, and anti-TNF therapy are part of the therapeutic arsenal for IBD. However, very often patients stop responding to treatments over the time. In this context, searching for alternative agents is crucial for IBD clinical management. Natural products derived from medicinal plants are an interesting therapeutic alternative, since several studies have proven effective treatments in animal models of intestinal inflammation. Several naturally occurring compounds are potent antioxidants, both as free radical scavengers and as modulators of antioxidant enzymes expression and activity. A number of natural compounds have also been proved to inhibit the release of proinflammatory cytokines, decreasing the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), which is important to the inflammatory response in IBD. The alkaloids are substances of a very diverse class of plant secondary metabolites; an extensive list of biological activities has been attributed to alkaloids, such as being anticholinergic, antitumor, diuretic, antiviral, antihypertensive, antiulcer, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory. In the present work, studies on the pharmacological activity of alkaloids in experimental models of IBD were reviewed.
Highlights
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder in the gastrointestinal tract and primarily includes two forms, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) [1]
UC is characterized by an inflammatory response with edema, ulceration and bleeding, and morphological changes along with the intestine mucosae, involving infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), abscesses formation in mucosal crypts, and glands distortion
We found 32 alkaloids with activity assessed in experimental models that induced the disrupt of the epithelial barrier (DSS, acetic acid, or mustard oil) or that involved hapten-induced hypersensitive reactions in the intestinal inflammation (TNBS), mainly in mice
Summary
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder in the gastrointestinal tract and primarily includes two forms, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) [1]. UC is characterized by an inflammatory response with edema, ulceration and bleeding, and morphological changes along with the intestine mucosae, involving infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), abscesses formation in mucosal crypts, and glands distortion. These changes are concentrated in the mucosa and restricted to the colon and rectum [2]. AntiTNFα therapy revolutionized IBD clinical management, the number of reports showing loss of response in patients have been increasing. There is an increase in the number of IBD patients using complementary herbal therapies and many experimental studies and clinical trials present beneficial effect of vegetal extracts, fractions, or compounds [15]. We made a review in the studies on the effects of alkaloids, a class of plant compounds with several biological activities reported, in experimental intestinal inflammatory injury
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
