Evaluation of the protective effect of Pterocarpus marsupium on acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats

Effect of aqueous extract of Trigonellafoenum-graecum L. seeds on Acetic acid- induced Ulcerative colitis in rats

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disorder affecting the colonic mucosa, characterized by intense inflammation and mucosal damage. The present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of the Trigonellafoenum-graecum L. (TFG) seeds in acetic acid-induced UC in rats. Materials and Methods: Male rats (n=30) were distributed into 5 groups as normal control, UC, standard, and two test groups. Colitis was induced by acetic acid in all the groups except the normal control group. Normal control and UC group received distilled water, the standard group was administered sulfasalazine at 100mg/kg body weight (bw), and test groups, TFG-I, and TFG-II received TFG seed extract at 500 and 1000 mg/kg bw, respectively. The duration of treatment was 7 days, and colitis was induced on day 8. Animals were sacrificed on day 9 and colonic tissue was dissected and collected for biochemical, molecular, and histological analysis. Results: The disease activity index score in standard, TFG-I, and TFG-II (3.33±0.21, 2.66±0.21, and 3.50±0.22) was significantly lesser (P<0.05) than scores in the UC group (4±0.01). The macroscopic score indicating the intensity of mucosal inflammation was significantly decreased (P≤ 0.01) to4.0±0.25, 3.16±0.30, and 3.83±0.40 in standard, TFG-I, and TFG-II groups, respectively compared to the UC group (4.66±0.21). Similarly, there was a significant reduction (P≤0.05) in histological scores of the standard, TFG-I, TFG-II (3.5±0.34, 1.25±0.34, 3.25±0.34) groups compared to the UC group (4.75±0.34). Biochemical assessment in the standard and test groups showed significant increase (P<0.05) in total protein, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels whereas significant reduction (P<0.01) in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared to UC group. The pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α levels were significantly decreased (P<0.01) in standard, TFG-I, and TFG-II (-1.75±0.007, -0.27±0.17 and -0.51±0.002) when compared to the UC group (0.20±0.02). Conclusion: The study demonstrates the ability of TFG seeds in reducing the inflammatory and oxidative stress induced mucosal damage in acetic acid-induced UC in rats.

Citrus unshiu Peel Attenuates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice due to Modulation of the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway and MAPK and NF-κB

Aim

Citrus unshiu peel has been used to treat various diseases in traditional East Asian medicine including Korea, and many studies have been reported regarding inflammatory diseases including ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the underlying mechanism by which Citrus unshiu peel modulates inflammation in UC remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of Citrus unshiu peel water extract (CUP) for UC.

Methods

The experiment for UC was conducted with 8-week-old male Balb/c mice. After 1 week of adaptation, acute colitis was induced in all groups except the normal group by 5% DSS dissolved in drinking water for 1 week. Balb/c mice were divided into 5 groups (n = 8/group): control group (Control), distilled water-treated group (DSS), 100 mg/kg sulfasalazine-treated group (SASP), 100 mg/kg CUP-treated group (CUPL), and 200 mg/kg CUP-treated group (CUPH). The efficacy of CUP on UC was evaluated by biochemical analyses such as ROS and MPO in serum and MDA in tissues, and expression of proteins related to inflammation and apoptosis was evaluated through Western blot.

Results

As a result of confirming the macroscopic changes and H&E staining in colon tissues to confirm the preventive and therapeutic effects of CU, decrease in colon length and inflammatory lesions were inhibited in the CUP-treated group compared to the DSS group. In addition, as a result of serum ROS and tissue MDA analysis and oxidative stress-related protein analysis, it was significantly decreased in the CUP-administered group compared to the control group. In addition, treatment with CUP not only inactivated MAPK, p-IκBα, and NF-κBp65 by blocking the PI3K/Akt pathway but also significantly reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines.

Conclusion

These results show that CUP not only suppresses oxidative stress in UC but also regulates inflammation-related proteins and apoptotic proteins by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, suggesting that it has the potential as a material for developing new natural therapeutic agents for UC.

Peptidomic Analysis of Urine from Youths with Early Type 1 Diabetes Reveals Novel Bioactivity of Uromodulin Peptides In Vitro

Chronic hyperglycemia is known to disrupt the proteolytic milieu, initiating compensatory and maladaptive pathways in the diabetic kidney. Such changes in intrarenal proteolysis are captured by the urinary peptidome. To elucidate the early kidney response to chronic hyperglycemia, we conducted a peptidomic investigation into urines from otherwise healthy youths with type 1 diabetes and their non-diabetic peers using unbiased and targeted mass spectrometry-based techniques. This cross-sectional study included two separate cohorts for the discovery (n = 30) and internal validation (n = 30) of differential peptide excretion. Peptide bioactivity was predicted using PeptideRanker and subsequently verified in vitro Proteasix and the Nephroseq database were used to identify putative proteases responsible for peptide generation and examine their expression in diabetic nephropathy. A total of 6550 urinary peptides were identified in the discovery analysis. We further examined the subset of 162 peptides, which were quantified across all thirty samples. Of the 15 differentially excreted peptides (p < 0.05), seven derived from a C-terminal region (589SGSVIDQSRVLNLGPITRK607) of uromodulin, a kidney-specific protein. Increased excretion of five uromodulin peptides was replicated in the validation cohort using parallel reaction monitoring (p < 0.05). One of the validated peptides (SGSVIDQSRVLNLGPI) activated NFκB and AP-1 signaling, stimulated cytokine release, and enhanced neutrophil migration in vitro. In silico analyses highlighted several potential proteases such as hepsin, meprin A, and cathepsin B to be responsible for generating these peptides. In summary, we identified a urinary signature of uromodulin peptides associated with early type 1 diabetes before clinical manifestations of kidney disease and discovered novel bioactivity of uromodulin peptides in vitro Our present findings lay the groundwork for future studies to validate peptide excretion in larger and broader populations, to investigate the role of bioactive uromodulin peptides in high glucose conditions, and to examine proteases that cleave uromodulin.

Effects of methanolic extract from leaves of Rubus imperialis in DSS-induced colitis in mice

This study investigated the effects of Rubus imperialis, a berry known as "amora-branca", in colitis dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced in mice. Animals were treated orally with vehicle (water), 5-aminosalicylic acid (100 mg/kg) or methanolic extract from leaves of R. imperialis (MERI, 100 mg/kg), once a day during seven days. The disease activity index (DAI) was observed daily. Colons were collected for histological, histochemical and biochemical analysis. The administration of MERI exacerbated colitis, as indicated by DAI heightened weight loss and increased histological colonic injury. MERI also decreased the colon mucin levels and increased colonic TNF content. The colonic levels of reduced glutathione and the superoxide dismutase activity in colitic group treated with MERI were decreased. Despite the worsening of colitis, MERI not altered the intestinal transit, body weight, colon length or organs weight in normal mice. Tormentic acid (TA) and 2β,3β,19α-trihydroxyursolic acid (THA), compounds isolated from MERI, reduced the L929 cells viability. Thus, MERI may have aggravated the DSS-induced colitis through intense intestinal mucus barrier impairment, which would lead to inflammatory responses, TA and THA contribute to the intestinal damage verified suggesting caution about the use of R. imperialis preparations, particularly in inflammatory bowel diseases.