Protective effect of Ferulago angulata (Schltdl.) Boiss. hydroalcoholic extract against acetic acid-induced colitis in rat: Role of pro-inflammatory cytokines

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease with unknown etiology. Ferulago angulata (Schltdl.) Boiss. has been proposed as an efficacious treatment for gastrointestinal ulcers and UC in the traditional Persian medicine. Objective: In the present study, we investigated the possible protective effect of F. angulata (Schltdl.) Boiss. hydroalcoholic extract (FAE) against acetic acid-induced UC in rats. Materials and Methods: The aerial parts of FAE (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) were administered orally after acetic acid induced-inflammatory bowel disease. On the 3 rd day, animals were euthanized by an overdose of ether inhalation and the abdomen was rapidly dissected for macroscopic, histological, and biochemical (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin-1β [IL-1β]) analyses. Results: All doses of F. angulata (Schltdl.) Boiss. extract ameliorated acetic acid-induced macroscopic and microscopic scores, except for 50 mg/kg. Furthermore, our observations were accompanied by a significant ( P Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the beneficial effect of hydroalcoholic extract of F. angulata (Schltdl.) Boiss. in acetic acid-induced ulcerative lesions via anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and mucosal healing properties. F. angulata (Schltdl.) Boiss. possesses promising protective function on colitis. Abbreviations Used: IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease; UC: Ulcerative colitis; CD: Crohn's disease; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; IL-1β: Interleukin-1β; PMN: Polymorphonuclear; NO: Nitric oxide; FAE: Ferulago angulata (Schltdl.) Boiss. hydroalcoholic extract; COX: Cyclooxygenase.