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Strontium chloride: can it be a new treatment option for ulcerative colitis?
Firdevs Topal1, Ozlem Yonem2, Nevin Tuzcu3
1Gastroenterology Clinic, Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, 35965 Izmir, Turkey.
Background/Aims:
Patients with ulcerative colitis still need effective therapy without major side effects. It has been found that strontium can suppress NFκB activation induced by TNF-α. This opens a gate to a new anti-TNF agent which is cheap and can be given orally. We for the first time aimed to investigate the effect of strontium chloride (SrCl2) on inflammation in experimental colitis.
Methods:
Thirty female Wistar albino rats were divided into 5 groups each containing 6 rats. The rats in groups 1 and 2 served as the healthy control and colitis group, respectively. The rats in groups 3, 4, and 5 had colitis and received 40 mg/kg SrCl2, 160 mg/kg SrCl2, and 1 mg/kg prednisolone by oral gavage, respectively. The rats were sacrificed for histological evaluation and determination of serum neopterin, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels.
Results:
The neopterin, TNF-α and IFNγ levels of group 2 was significantly higher than the other groups. The neopterin, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels of controls and other treatment groups were comparable. There were a significant difference in macroscopic and microscopic healing between group 2 and other groups histologically. But there was not a significant difference within treatment receiving groups.
Conclusion:
SrCl2 had comparable therapeutic efficiency with prednisolone.
Insights
Strontium chloride (SrCl2) shows promise as an oral therapy for ulcerative colitis, demonstrating comparable effectiveness to prednisolone in reducing inflammation markers and improving healing in an experimental model. This suggests SrCl2 could be a new, affordable anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agent.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Pharmacology
- Inflammation Research
Background:
- Ulcerative colitis requires novel therapies with minimal side effects.
- Strontium has demonstrated potential in suppressing TNF-α induced NFκB activation.
- This suggests strontium as a basis for a new, orally administered anti-inflammatory agent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of strontium chloride (SrCl2) in an experimental model of colitis.
- To evaluate SrCl2 as a potential therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis.
Main Methods:
- Female Wistar albino rats with induced colitis were treated with varying doses of SrCl2 or prednisolone.
- Serum levels of neopterin, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were measured.
- Histological and macroscopic evaluations assessed healing and inflammation.
Main Results:
- Rats with colitis (group 2) exhibited significantly elevated neopterin, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels compared to controls and treatment groups.
- Both SrCl2 and prednisolone treatments showed significant macroscopic and microscopic healing.
- No significant differences in therapeutic outcomes were observed between SrCl2 and prednisolone treatment groups.
Conclusions:
- Strontium chloride (SrCl2) demonstrated comparable therapeutic efficacy to prednisolone in treating experimental colitis.
- SrCl2 presents a viable, orally administered therapeutic option for ulcerative colitis.
- Further research into SrCl2 as an anti-inflammatory agent is warranted.
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