Abstract
With the recent rapid improvement in the standards of life and westernization of dietary lifestyles, the consumption of high-calorie diets such as high-fat and high-protein red meat and instant foods has increased, while less vegetables containing dietary fiber are consumed. In addition to that, stress, erroneous dietary behaviors, and contaminated environments are linked to the risk of developing ulcerative colitis, which is on the rise. Another cause of ulcerative colitis is that involve laxative abuse, including repeated, frequent use of laxatives, and include such conditions as deteriorated bowel function, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, intestinal inflammation, etc. The present study aimed to investigate the comparative evaluation of pharmacological efficacy between sulfasalazine alone and combination with herbal medicine on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC in mice. Balb/c mice received 5% DSS in drinking water for 7 days to induce colitis. Animals were divided into five groups (n = 9): group I-normal group, group II-DSS control group, group III-DSS + sulfasalazine (30 mg/kg), group IV-DSS + sulfasalazine (60 mg/kg), group V-DSS + sulfasalazine (30 mg/kg) + Radish Extract mixture (30 mg /kg) (SRE). DSS-treated mice developed symptoms similar to those of human UC, such as severe bloody diarrhea and weight loss. SRE supplementation, as well as sulfasalazine, suppressed colonic length and mucosal inflammatory infiltration. In addition, SRE treatment significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory signaling molecules through suppression both mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways, and prevented the apoptosis of colon. Moreover, SRE administration significantly led to the up-regulation of antioxidant enzyme including SOD and Catalase. This is the first report that Radish extract mixture combined with sulfasalazine protects against experimental UC via the inhibition of both inflammation and apoptosis, very similar to the standard-of-care sulfasalazine.