Ulcerative colitis is a recurrent inflammatory illness of the colon with an elevated risk of developing
colon cancer. The drugs presently used to treat UC cause adverse effects and are limited to symptomatic treatments. To overcome these constraints, naturally derived novel
alternative therapies are being tested. Ensete superbum Roxb. Cheesman (wild banana) is used as a folk medicinal plant to treat stomach
aches,
diarrhea, and
dysentery. Previous research has shown that a peel
dioxane (PD) fraction obtained from a ripe peel aqueous extract of E. superbum Roxb. Cheesman possesses in vitro
antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-
colon cancer effects. Furthermore, it has been shown to alleviate
2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) induced
ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats. The current study intended to evaluate its efficacy as a functional dietary component added to cold pressed orange juice in colitic rats, and deduce the molecular processes involved in UC amelioration. The PD fraction in orange juice ameliorated
colitis by modulating the oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters in the damaged tissue with improved healing activity as indicated by a lower disease activity index (DAI) score. The ameliorative effect was related to the inhibition of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway by downregulating the expression levels of NFκBp65, TNF-α,
IL-6 and IL-1β, followed by the recovery of epithelial barrier integrity. The ameliorating effects were statistically similar (p > 0.05) to those of the standard
sulfasalazine treated population. The results suggest that PD fractions can be used as a new functional food and as an adjuvant to prevent IBDs due to their anti-colitic effect; however, it needs to be confirmed in clinical trials.