Semi-bionic extraction of compound turmeric protects against dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute enteritis in rats.

ABSTRACT

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Compound turmeric has been widely used as a remedy for infectious diseases in China. It is a classic multi-herb prescription in traditional Chinese medicine, commonly used in the treatment of enteritis, pneumonia, and abdominal pain for hundreds of years. However, throughout this history, the powder of multi-herbs was directly swallowed, which is currently difficult to administer to patients. The extract of Chinese herbal medicine is made by semi-bionic extraction technology, which is great progress in the modernization of powders of traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of this work is to investigate the protective effects of semi-bionic extraction of compound turmeric (SET) on acute enteritis (AE) induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SET was extracted in artificial gastric juice or artificial intestinal juice and mixed. After vacuum drying, the SET powder was dissolved in distilled water. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups. Rats were given salazosulfapyridine (SASP, 175.0mg/kg) or SET (0.42 or 0.21g/kg) before intragastric administration of 5% DSS solutions (0.75g/kg). The treatments lasted 7 days. The food intake in 24h, disease activity index (DAI), and wet/dry (W/D) weight ratios and histological changes in colon tissue were measured. The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1ß, IL-8, and IL-10 in serum were determined at 1, 4, or 7 d after DSS challenge. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), malonaldehyde (MDA), diamine oxidase (DAO), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in colon tissue were determined at 7 d. In addition, the nuclear factor-kappa (NF-κ B) and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) activations in colon tissue were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. RESULTS: In rats with AE, SET significantly reduced DAI at 7 d after DSS treatment, increased the body weight of rats and the food intake in 24h at 3 or 6 d after DSS challenge, and reduced the colon W/D ratio. SET also reduced the TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and IL-8 in serum and increased IL-10 in serum at 4 and 7 d. In addition, SET decreased MPO, MDA, DAO, and GSH-Px activities in colon and attenuated histological changes in the colon at 7 d after DSS treatment. Further studies demonstrated that SET significantly inhibited NF-κB and ICAM-1 activations in colon tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that SET has potent protective effects on DSS-induced AE in rats through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities.