Basic Research
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2007; 13(42): 5605-5611
Published online Nov 14, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i42.5605
Effect of Scutellariae Radix extract on experimental dextran-sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rats
Ho-Lam Chung, Grace Gar-Lee Yue, Ka-Fai To, Ya-Lun Su, Yu Huang, Wing-Hung Ko
Ho-Lam Chung, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Grace Gar-Lee Yue, Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Ka-Fai To, Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Ya-Lun Su, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
Yu Huang, Wing-Hung Ko, Department of Physiology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by a direct grant for research from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, No. 2041075 awarded to Wing-Hung Ko
Correspondence to: Wing-Hung Ko, Department of Physiology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. whko@cuhk.edu.hk
Telephone: +852-26096781 Fax: +852-26035022
Received: May 3, 2007
Revised: July 4, 2007
Accepted: August 6, 2007
Published online: November 14, 2007
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the effect of Scutellariae Radix extract (SRE) on ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats induced by dextran-sulfate sodium (DSS).

METHODS: Colitis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (170-180 g) by 4% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS, wt/v; MW 54000) in drinking water for 8 d. The treated rats received 4% DSS and SRE orally (100 mg/kg per day). Control rats received either tap water or SRE only. Macroscopic assessment which included body weight changes, fecal occult blood and stool consistency were determined daily. At the appointed time, the rats were sacrificed and the entire colons were removed. The colon length and the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured. The severity of colitis was graded by morphological and histological assessments. The ion transport activity of the colonic mucosa was assessed by electrophysiological technique.

RESULTS: Rats treated with oral administration of 4% DSS regularly developed clinical and macroscopic signs of colitis. Treatment with SRE relieved the symptoms, including the reduction in body weight, shortening and ulceration of the colon. Administration of SRE also significantly reduced the histological damage induced by DSS. Moreover, the ISC responses of the colonic mucosa to forskolin were suppressed after the induction of colitis. The stimulated ion transport activity of DSS-rats treated with SRE displayed significant improvement in the secretory responsiveness.

CONCLUSION: SRE was effective in treating acute DSS-induced ulcerative colitis, as gauged by reduced clinical disease, improved macroscopic and histological damage scores, and enhanced recovery of normal colonic secretory function.

Keywords: Ulcerative colitis; Scutellariae Radix; Inflammatory bowel disease; Colonic ion transport; Traditional Chinese medicine