Low-dose curcumin reduced TNBS-associated mucin depleted foci in mice by scavenging superoxide anion and lipid peroxides, rebalancing matrix NO synthase and aconitase activities, and recoupling mitochondria.

BACKGROUND: The role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is still being investigated. This study evaluated the therapeutic effect of curcumin (Cur), a polyphenolic electrophile in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced chronic colitis and mitochondrial dysfunction, in mice. METHODS: Colitis was induced by rectal instillation to mice of 30 mg kg-1 TNBS, alone or followed by daily intraperitoneal injections of Cur 25 mg kg-1. Animals were euthanized at days 3, 7, and 14, post TNBS challenge. Colon mitochondria of control mice were treated with 5 µM Cur, and TNBS (50, 100 µM)-toxicity was evaluated by measuring swelling, respiration, and aconitase and fumarase activities. Redox status was evaluated in colon mucosa and in mitochondria. RESULTS: In vitro, a short-term Cur treatment controlled the dose and time dependent mitochondrial toxicity induced by TNBS, by collapsing the generation of superoxide anion and hydroperoxy lipids, rebalancing nitric oxide synthase and aconitase activities, and recoupling mitochondria. In vivo, a daily low-dose Cur abolished mice mortality which reached 27% in model group. Cur improved in a time dependent manner mucosal redox homeostasis, cell apoptosis, mucin depleted crypts and crypt abscesses by controlling prooxidant activity of myeloperoxidase and NO synthase associated to phagocytes influx, quenching hydroperoxy lipids, and reboosting GSH levels. CONCLUSION: Cur, by quenching intra and extra mitochondrial ROS generation, rebalancing aconitase/fumarase and MDA/GSH ratios, and recoupling mitochondria, may support mithormesis priming and remitting in IBD.

Tumor necrosis factor-α-induced colitis increases NADPH oxidase 1 expression, oxidative stress, and neutrophil recruitment in the colon: preventive effect of apocynin.

Reactive oxygen species- (ROS-) mediated injury has been implicated in several inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are the major source of endogenous ROS. Here, we investigated the role of NOXs derived-ROS in a mouse model of colitis induced by the proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Intraperitoneal injection of TNFα (10 µg · kg(-1)) induced an acute inflammation of the colon and a marked increase in expression of NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1), a colon specific NADPH oxidase isoform. TNFα-induced colitis was also characterized by high production of keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) and mucosal infiltration of neutrophils, NOX2-expressing cells. Concomitantly, ROS production and lipid peroxidation were significantly enhanced while catalase activity and glutathione level were reduced indicating a redox imbalance in the colon. Furthermore, the redox-sensitive MAP kinases, ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK, were activated during TNFα-induced colitis. Pretreatment of mice with apocynin, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor with antioxidant properties, before TNFα challenge, prevented all these events. These data suggest that ROS derived from NADPH oxidases (mainly NOX1 and NOX2) and MAP kinase pathways could contribute to the induction and expansion of oxidative lesions characteristics of IBD and that apocynin could potentially be beneficial in IBD treatment.

Gadolinium chloride attenuates acetic acid-evoked colitis in mice by reducing neutrophil infiltration and pro-oxidative enzyme activity.

This study investigated the potential of gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), an inhibitor of kupffer cells on the myeloperoxidase (MPO) function, both in vivo on colon inflammation model and in vitro on thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal neutrophils. Colon inflammation was induced in mice (n = 7) by 4% acetic acid (AA) enema. GdCl3 (10 mg/kg) treatment was given 24 h before AA challenge. Clinical changes during the protocol were scored. Colons were segmented into distal and proximal parts for histological and biochemical assessment. Furthermore, myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzymes were extracted and analyzed by western blot. Short-term GdCl3 treatment inhibited dose-dependently superoxide anion (O2·-), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and MPO release and promoted neutrophil apoptosis. In vivo, low-dose GdCl3 improved colitis scores and inhibited acute phagocyte recruitment and colon damage within the mucosa as revealed by the decrease in MPO, nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. At the same time, GdCl3 restored catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, thus reversing the MDA/GSH ratio in both distal and proximal colons. Compared to proximal, distal colon was more altered and displayed higher pathological manifestations. Lastly, the induction of apoptosis and regulation of the major nitrosative and oxidative functions of neutrophils by GdCl3 suggests its consideration as a beneficial tool in attenuating colon inflammation.

Aminoguanidine and curcumin attenuated tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced oxidative stress, colitis and hepatotoxicity in mice.

The up regulation of gut mucosal cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and oxidative stress have been related to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). This study investigated an immune-mediated model of colitis. TNF-α injected intraperitonally to mice induced a dose-dependent recruitment of neutrophils into abdominal mesentery. The leukocytes influx induced by TNF-α (10 µg kg(-1) body weight) increased by 3 fold liver and colon damage scores. TNF-α-colitis was characterized by hemorrhagic edemas and crypt abscesses massively infiltrated by inflammatory cells, namely neutrophils. Moreover, TNF-α-toxicity resulted in liver steatosis and foci of necrosis infiltrated by Kupffer cells and neutrophils in parenchyma and around the centrilobular veins. The involvement of oxidative stress was evaluated using aminoguanidine (AG) as selective inhibitor of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and curcumin (Cur), the polyphenolic antioxidant of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). TNF-α-toxicity led to significant increase in myeloperoxidase (MPO, an index of neutrophils infiltration), nitrites (stable nitric oxide metabolites) and malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of lipid peroxides) levels and cell apoptosis in liver and colon. AG and Cur treatments significantly attenuated the hallmarks of oxidative stress, neutrophils influx and ROS-related cellular and histological damages, in TNF-α-treated mice. Taken together, our results provide insights into the role of phagocytes-derived oxidants in TNF-α-colitis in mice. Cur and AG, by inhibiting neutrophils priming and iNOsynthase could be effective against oxidative bowel damages induced in IBD by imbalanced gut immune response.