Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronically relapsing inflammatory disorders of the intestine. Although some therapeutic agents, including steroids, are available for the treatment of IBD, these agents have limited use. Therefore, dietary supplements have emerged as possible interventions for IBD. Japanese honeysuckle flower, the flower of Lonicera japonica, is a well-known dietary supplement and has been used to prevent or treat various inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we investigated the effects of L. japonica on experimental murine colitis. Colitis was induced by 5Â % dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) in Balb/c mice. The water extract of L. japonica (LJE) at doses of 20, 100 or 500Â mg/kg was orally administered to mice twice per day for 7Â d. Body weight, colon length and a histological damage score were assessed to determine the effects on colitis. Cytokine profiles were assessed to examine the effects on helper T (Th) cell-related immunological responses. In addition, CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺T cells were analysed in vivo and in vitro for investigating the effects on regulatory T (Treg) cells. LJE showed dose-dependent inhibitory effects against colon shortening, weight loss and histological damage. LJE down-regulated IL-1β, TNF-α, interferon-γ, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-17. However, LJE did not show any significant effects on IL-10, IL-23, transforming growth factor-β1 and Treg cell populations. In conclusion, LJE showed protective effects against DSS-induced colitis via the Th1/Th17 pathway and not via Treg cell-related mechanisms. Copyright © The Authors 2012.

Author keywords

Dextran sulphate sodium; Inflammatory bowel disease; Lonicera japonica; Regulatory T cells; Th1/Th17 pathway

Indexed keywords

EMTREE drug terms: chlorogenic acid; dextran sulfate; gamma interferon; interleukin 10; interleukin 12; interleukin 17; interleukin 1beta; interleukin 23; interleukin 6; Lonicera japonica extract; transforming growth factor beta1; tumor necrosis factor alpha; Lonicera japonica extract; pse 003; unclassified drug

EMTREE medical terms: animal cell; animal experiment; animal model; animal tissue; antiinflammatory activity; article; colitis; colon; controlled study; dose response; down regulation; histopathology; immune response; in vitro study; in vivo study; male; mouse; nonhuman; regulatory T lymphocyte; T lymphocyte; Th1 cell; Th17 cell; weight reduction; body weight; CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ T lymphocyte; helper cell; scoring system

MeSH: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Colitis; Colon; Dextran Sulfate; Dietary Supplements; Disease Models, Animal; Down-Regulation; Flowers; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Intestinal Mucosa; Lonicera; Male; Medicine, East Asian Traditional; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Plant Extracts; Random Allocation; Republic of Korea; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Th1 Cells; Th17 Cells
Medline is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.

Chemicals and CAS Registry Numbers: chlorogenic acid, 327-97-9; dextran sulfate, 9011-18-1, 9042-14-2; gamma interferon, 82115-62-6; interleukin 12, 138415-13-1;Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Dextran Sulfate, 9042-14-2; Plant Extracts

Drug tradename: pse 003.