Histological and immunohistochemical effects of L-arginine and silymarin on TNBS-induced inflammatory bowel disease in rats

• Abdul Majeed Al-Drees ^[1] ; Mahmoud Salah Khalil ^[2]
  1. [1] King Saud University

     King Saud University

     Arabia Saudí

     
  2. [2] Suez Canal University

     Suez Canal University

     Egipto

     
• Localización: Histology and histopathology: cellular and molecular biology, ISSN-e 1699-5848, ISSN 0213-3911, Vol. 31, Nº. 11, 2016, págs. 1259-1270
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease that affects quality of life. Various mediators are involved in IBD pathogenesis including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), cytochrome c, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. L-Arginine (L-Arg) can be depleted in IBD, and silymarin inhibits neutrophil infiltration, NF-κB, and TNF-α, which have crucial roles in inducing IBD. This study aimed to investigate whether silymarin and L-Arg supplemen-tation decreases IBD progression in trinitrobenzine-sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. Fifty adult male albino rats were randomized into five groups (10 animals per group): Group I rats orally received 10 mg silymarin/100 g body weight once daily; Group II rats orally received 2 mg L-Arg/100 g body weight once daily; Group III rats rectally received 0.85 mL TNBS in 50% ethanol to induce colitis; Group IV rats were treated similar to group III and, on recovery from anesthesia, received silymarin as described for group I; and Group V rats were treated similar to group III and, on recovery from anesthesia, received L-Arg as described for group II. On day 7, the rats were anesthetized, and blood samples were collected to determine the serum concentrations of TNF-α. Laparotomy and total colectomy were performed for macroscopic, histological, and immunohistochemical investigations. The results showed that silymarin and L-Arg macrosco-pically and microscopically ameliorated TNBS-induced colitis; significantly decreased the serum levels of TNF-α; inhibited the colonic expression of iNOS, NF-κB, and cytochrome c; and increased expression of HSP70. Our results suggest that these complementary medicines could be used to supplement current treatments for IBD.