Targeting oxidative stress and
inflammation by novel dietary compounds of natural origin convincingly appears to be one of the most important therapeutic strategies to keep inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as
ulcerative colitis disease in remission. It is imperative to investigate naturally occuring plant-derived
dietary phytochemicals that are receiving attention for their therapeutic benefits to overcome the debilitating conditions of IBD. In the present study, the effect of
nerolidol (NRD), a
monocyclic sesquiterpene found in German Chamomile
tea, was investigated in
acetic acid-induced
colitis model in Wistar rats. NRD was orally administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day either for 3 days before or 30 min after induction of IBD for 7 days, after intrarectal administration of
acetic acid. The
body weight, macroscopic, and microscopic analyses of the colon in different experimental groups were observed on days 0, 2, 4, and 7.
Acetic acid caused significant reduction in
body weight and induced macroscopic and microscopic
ulcer along with a significant decline of
antioxidants, concomitant to increased
malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation, and
myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, a marker of neutrophil activation. Treatment with NRD significantly improved IBD-induced reduction in
body weight, improved histology, inhibited MDA formation, and restored
antioxidants along with reduced MPO activity.
Acetic acid also induced the release of pro-inflammatory
cytokines and increased
calprotectin, released by neutrophils under inflammatory conditions. NRD treatment significantly reduced
calprotectin and pro-inflammatory
cytokines. NRD treatment showed potential to improve disease activity and inhibit oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and
inflammation along with histological preservation of the colon tissues.