Protective effects of scutellarin in experimental colitis in rats

Biotech Histochem. 2023 Jun 20:1-13. doi: 10.1080/10520295.2023.2224061. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTUlcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology for which effective treatments are lacking. Scutellarin is a flavonoid with anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the possible protective effects of scutellarin on UC induced by acetic acid in rats. We used five groups of male rats: control, scutellarin, UC, UC + scutellarin, UC + sulfasalazine. Colonic mucosal inflammation was evaluated microscopically. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, total antioxidant status (TAS), nitric oxide (NO), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and DNA fragmentation levels were measured. Colon tissue sections were evaluated using immunohistochemistry for Bcl-2 and Bax, TUNEL staining and histopathology. Pretreatment with scutellarin significantly reduced histological damage. Scutellarin significantly reduced serum and tissue levels of MDA, NO, IL-6 and TNF-α, and increased enzymatic activity of SOD and TAS. Scutellarin suppressed apoptosis by down-regulation of Bax, reduction of DNA fragmentation and increased expression of Bcl-2. Apoptosis was increased, while antioxidant enzymes were significantly decreased; some histopathologic disorders also were seen in the UC group. Administration of scutellarin ameliorated the pathological and biochemical alterations caused by UC in rats. We found ...
Source: Biotechnic and Histochemistry - Category: Research Authors: Source Type: research