Immunological changes in the intestines and skin after senna administration

It has been reported that chronic sennoside use is associated with the development of melanosis coli, colonic adenoma, and/or carcinomas.

In this study, we investigated the immunological changes in the colon and skin after the administration of senna.

In this study, we investigated the colon and epidermis of C57/BL6j mice after a single administration of 10 mg/kg of senna [Cassia angustifolia (Caesalpiniaceae); 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after administration] and after repeated once per week administrations (on days 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 of administration). The LD50 and ED50 of senna used in this experiment were 165 mg/kg and 13 g/kg, respectively.

We demonstrated that the DOPA-positive cells in the colon increased at 12 h after single administration and were further increased from at 5-28 d after repeated administration. We also studied the physiological changes of the small intestine using the charcoal meal test. We found that there was a tendency for peristalsis to be inhibited after repeated senna administration. In the epidermis, we investigated the number of Langerhans cells, because they are important immune cells of the skin. The number of these cells decreased, especially after repeated administration.

The present findings suggested that it is necessary to pay attention to not only the intestine but also the skin, during long-term senna treatment.