Aralia elata (AE) is an anti-inflammatory, polyphenolic containing medicinal plant. However, little is known about AE and its application to ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to confirm AE extract's… Click to show full abstract
Aralia elata (AE) is an anti-inflammatory, polyphenolic containing medicinal plant. However, little is known about AE and its application to ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to confirm AE extract's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and in vitro. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring total polyphenol and flavonoid content in AE extract. AE extract (10 000 mg/L) contained 186.8 mg GAE/g polyphenol and 81.9 mg QE/g flavonoid. Mice were divided into 6 groups, including control, which received normal saline, and treatment groups, which received dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) with or without AE extract (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg). RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were divided into 2 groups: control and treatment. RAW 264.7 macrophage cells treated with sterile double distilled water, 1 mg/L lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and AE extracts (25, 50, 75, 100 µg/mL) were used to assess the cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activity. High-performance liquid chromatography, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, and histology were employed to analyze the AE extract contents, nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, as oxidative stress markers. In addition, the disease activity index (DAI) and cytotoxicity were determined in mice and cells, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that AE extract is rich in chlorogenic acid (96 ± 0.01 mg/g). DSS increased the DAI and levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and immune cell infiltration compared with those of the control animals. Furthermore, LPS eventually reduced cell viability and increased the levels of NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in contrast to control cells. After treatment, a noticeable reduction was observed in the levels of DAI, NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 compared to those without AE treatments. Overall, AE extract is safe and had anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, AE extract can be considered a potential pre-treatment supplement for UC.
               
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