The anti-ulcerative potential of Berberine on the rat model of inflammatory bowel disease

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a global inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is a chronic mucosal inflammation of the large intestine. UC is accompanied by the increment in the production and release of pro-inflammatory mediators. Due to the immunomodulatory potentials of Berberine (BBN), the present study aimed at examining its anti-ulcerogenic activity against experimentally induced ulcerative colitis (UC), by intrarectal instillation of 1 ml of 3% acetic acid (AA). Thirty adults female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: (1) Negative control, (2) AA-induced UC rats (intrarectal), (3) Treated AA-induced UC + BBN (50 mg/kg/day; orally). Biochemical, molecular, histopathological, and immunohistochemical investigations were conducted. Intrarectal administration of AA provoked several macroscopic and microscopic alterations in the colons of UC-induced rats, increased the colonic lipid peroxidation, upregulated the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), caspase-3, and interferon gamma (IFN-γ), increased levels of colonic inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE-2), and downregulated the immunoexpression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2). In contrast, treatment of UC-rats with BBN exhibited curative activities manifested by downregulating the expression of NF-κB and caspase-3, reducing the colonic contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), TNF-α, IL-1β, and PGE-2; and activating Nrf-2 immunoexpression. This study evidenced the anti-ulcerative and colo-therapeutic potentials of BBN that might be ascribed to its anti-lipid peroxidation, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities.