Journal of Ethnopharmacology 136 (2011) 428–435 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Ethnopharmacology jo ur nal homep age : www.elsevier.com/locate/jethpharm Anti-inflammatory effects of methanol extract of Patrinia scabiosaefolia in mice with ulcerative colitis Eu-jin Cho a,b , Ji-Sun Shin a,b , Young-Su Noh a,b , Young-Wuk Cho b , Seung-Jae Hong b , Jae-Hoon Park b , Jae Yeol Lee c , Jin-Yong Lee d , Kyung-Tae Lee a,b,∗ a Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea b Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea c Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea d College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Hoegi-Dong, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 19 December 2009 Received in revised form 3 April 2010 Accepted 20 April 2010 Available online 4 June 2010 Keywords: Patrinia scabiosaefolia Ulcerative colitis DSS a b s t r a c t Ethnopharmacological relevance: Patrinia scabiosaefolia Fisch is used in folk medicines to treat intesti- nal abscesses, acute appendicitis, and dysentery in Asia. Although recent reports indicate that Patrinia scabiosaefolia has sedative and anti-tumor effects, its effects on ulcerative colitis have not been previously explored. Aim of the study: To determine the effects and the mode of action of the methanol extract of the roots of Patrinia scabiosaefolia (PME) on a model of colitis in mice induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Materials and methods: We induced colitis using DSS in 5-week-ICR mice over 7 days and estimated disease activity index (DAI), which took into account body weight, stool consistency, gross bleeding, and tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) accumulation. Colon lengths and spleen weights were measured. Histological changes were observed by H&E staining. Pro-inflammatory mediators, namely, nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were determined using Griess assays, immunoassays, and by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), respectively. Results: PME significantly attenuated DSS-induced DAI scores and tissue MPO accumulation, which implied that it suppressed weight loss, diarrhea, gross bleeding, and the infiltrations of immune cells. PME administration also effectively and dose-dependently prevented shortening of colon length and enlargement of spleen size. Histological examinations indicated that PME suppressed edema, mucosal damage, and the loss of crypts induced by DSS. Furthermore, PME inhibited the abnormal secretions and mRNA expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as, TNF-, IL-1, and IL-6. Conclusion: These results suggest that PME has an anti-inflammatory effect at colorectal sites that is due to the down-regulations of the productions and expressions of inflammatory mediators, and that it may have therapeutic value in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are referred to as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), and are manifestations Abbreviations: 5-ASA, 5-aminosalicylic acid; CD, Crohn’s disease; DAI, disease activity index; DSS, dextran sulfate sodium; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; IL- 1, interleukin-1; IL-6, interleukin-6; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; MPO, myeloperoxidase; NO, nitric oxide; PME, Patrinia scabiosaefolia methanol extract; RT-PCR, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; TNF-, tumor necrosis factor-; UC, ulcerative colitis. ∗ Corresponding author at: Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, College of Pharmacy, Kyung-Hee University, Dongdaemun-Ku, Hoegi-Dong, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 2 961 0860; fax: +82 2 966 3885. E-mail address: ktlee@khu.ac.kr (K.-T. Lee). of numerous immunological disorders associated with cellular and humoral immune response (Owczarek et al., 2009). The pathogenesis of IBD remain unclear, but imbalances between pro- inflammatory cytokines, such as, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), interferon- (IFN-), interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and IL-12, and anti- inflammatory cytokines, such as, IL-4, IL-10, IL-11, are believed to play a central role in modulating inflammation (Ardizzone and Bianchi Porro, 2005). Traditional therapeutic agents, like 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASA) and corticosteroids, are still used to treat IBD. In addition, some immunomodulators, such as, azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine, and antibiotics are becoming important in the setting of steroid resistant and steroid-dependent patients (Hanauer, 1996). How- ever, all of these drugs have shortcomings. 5-ASA is well tolerated but diarrhea, cramps, and abdominal pain are occasional side 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.04.047