Protective effects of myristicin against ulcerative colitis induced by acetic acid in male mice

Abstract

The present investigation aims to evaluate the prophylactic effects and mechanisms of Myr on experimental colitis model induced by acetic acid (AA) in mice. The obtained results showed that Myr treatment prior to induction of colitis significantly modulated the colonic oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant enzymatic activities of catalse, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, as well as by lowering the levels of lipid peroxidation. The treatment also significantly decreased the colonic tissue levels of inflammatory markers, including myeloperoxidase activity, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 and interleukin-17. Besides, Myr significantly inhibited nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) levels in AA-induced ulcerative colitis tissues. In the histological evaluation, the tissue damage scores in the mice colon were significantly suppressed with the administration of Myr + AA. Taken together, our findings suggested that Myr exerts marked protective effect against colonic inflammation through regulating antioxidative responses, NF-κB and subsequent pro-inflammatory cytokines production.

Keywords

• myristicin
• ulcerative colitis
• oxidative stress
• proinflammatory cytokines
• nf-κb
• colonic histopathology