Background

Pistacia lentiscus L. (PL) is a flowering plant traditionally used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The extracts of this plant are endowed with strong pharmacological activities. The aim of our current study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and potential therapeutic effects of PL leaves aqueous extract (PLAE) against Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis.

Materials and methods

The therapeutic effect of PLAE was evaluated after orally administration of 3% DSS alone or concomitantly with PLAE (50, 100 or 200 mg/Kg). Mucosal lesions were assessed by macroscopic and histopathological examination. In this context, hemorrhage, diarrhea, weight loss, and disease activity index (DAI) were determined daily throughout the experiment. In the same way, hematoxylin–eosin and Alcian blue staining of colonic mucosal were used to evaluate, respectively, mucosal damages and mucus production. Furthermore, the levels of nitric oxide (NO), and pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] were measured in plasma, as well as in colonic explants and peritoneal macrophages cultures supernatants.

Results

Administration of DSS + PLAE indicated a significant reduction in clinical score of acute colitis DAI compared to DSS alone administration. Interestingly, histological analysis of the mucosa showed that DSS + PLAE-treated groups exhibited almost normal histology evidenced by an intact epithelium structure and less inflammatory cell infiltration in the mucosa. Alcian bleu staining revealed that DSS + PLAE-treated groups displayed almost normal mucus production. Importantly, a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory mediators (NO, IL-6 and TNF-α) levels in dose-dependent manner was reported in plasma, and culture supernatants of colonic explants and peritoneal macrophages from DSS + PLAE-treated mice compared to the DSS group.

Conclusion

Our results showed that the systemic and local anti-inflammatory activities of aqueous leaves extract of PL improve the clinical signs of acute colitis. Our data suggest that PLAE has beneficial effects and could constitute a promising approach against acute ulcerative colitis by targeting the deregulated immune response.

中文翻译：

---

黄连木水提取物在实验性结肠炎中的有益作用：抗炎和潜在治疗作用

背景

Pistacia lentiscus L. (PL)是一种开花植物，传统上用于治疗胃肠道疾病。这种植物的提取物具有很强的药理活性。我们目前研究的目的是研究PL叶水提取物 (PLAE) 对葡聚糖硫酸钠 (DSS) 诱导的急性结肠炎的抗炎和潜在治疗作用。

材料和方法

在单独或与 PLAE（50、100 或 200 mg/Kg）同时口服给药 3% DSS 后评估 PLAE 的治疗效果。通过肉眼观察和组织病理学检查评估粘膜病变。在这种情况下，在整个实验过程中每天测定出血、腹泻、体重减轻和疾病活动指数 (DAI)。以同样的方式，苏木精-伊红和阿辛蓝染色的结肠粘膜分别用于评估粘膜损伤和粘液产生。此外，还测量了血浆、结肠外植体和腹膜中的一氧化氮 (NO) 和促炎细胞因子 [肿瘤坏死因子-α (TNF-α) 和白细胞介素-6 (IL-6)] 的水平。巨噬细胞培养上清液。

结果

与单独施用 DSS 相比，施用 DSS + PLAE 表明急性结肠炎 DAI 的临床评分显着降低。有趣的是，粘膜的组织学分析表明，DSS + PLAE 治疗组表现出几乎正常的组织学，这由完整的上皮结构和粘膜中较少的炎症细胞浸润所证明。Alcian bleu 染色显示 DSS + PLAE 处理组显示几乎正常的粘液产生。重要的是，与 DSS + PLAE 处理的小鼠相比，血浆中促炎介质（NO、IL-6 和 TNF-α）水平显着降低，而来自 DSS + PLAE 处理的小鼠的结肠外植体和腹腔巨噬细胞的培养上清液中也有报道。 DSS 组。

结论

我们的结果表明，PL的水叶提取物的全身和局部抗炎活性改善了急性结肠炎的临床症状。我们的数据表明，PLAE 具有有益作用，并且可以通过靶向失调的免疫反应构成一种有前景的治疗急性溃疡性结肠炎的方法。