The etiology of inflammatory bowel diseases which include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn disease has not yet been clarified. Several hypotheses suggest a change in composition of gut microflora along with an impaired mucosal barrier that lead to excessive mucosal immunologic responses. Increased production of nitric oxide (NO) contributes greatly to the tissue injury caused by chronic inflammation. Evidence indicates that the mucus layer covering the epithelium is altered during UC and experimental colitis. Our aim in this study was to investigate the potential therapeutic effect of probiotic during DSS-induced colitis by modulating the immune system and colonic mucus production. For that purpose, the probiotic formulation Ultrabiotique(®) (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium breve) was administered daily for 7 d to mice with colitis. Probiotic supplementation improved clinical symptoms and histological alterations observed during DSS induced colitis. Ultrabiotique(®) treatment down regulated the NO production by peritoneal macrophages of DSS-treated mice and enhanced mucus production in both DSS-treated and healthy mice. In conclusion, the modification of microflora by the Ultrabiotique(®) played a beneficial role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier and promoted tissue repair.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consists mainly of Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn disease (CD). Although its aetiology is still not clearly established, it is thought to be due to overly aggressive immune response to enteric bacteria in genetically predisposed individuals. Manipulating the microbiota using probiotics or prebiotics is considered as a promising field of new therapeutic strategies used to attenuate immune disorders observed during IBD. The production of nitric oxide (NO) seems to be implicated in IBD pathogenesis. In our study, an acute UC was induced in Swiss mice using 3% Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS). The preventive effects of "Ultrabiotique®" (a probiotic) and inulin (a prebiotic) on the colitis were investigated. The production of NO was evaluated in the supernatants of peritoneal macrophages (pMφ) cultures. Colonic mucosa histology was subsequently examined. Results showed severe acute UC after administration of DSS. High levels of NO in pMφ cultures were also observed compared to control samples. These findings correlated with a significant destruction of the colonic mucosa. Oral administration of Ultrabiotique® or inulin decreased the severity of DSS-induced colitis. These treatments lead to a decrease in NO levels in pMφ cultures. A considerable reduction of colonic lesions was also noticed. Our findings suggest the involvement of NO in experimental UC pathogenesis. Pre- and pro-biotics, as discussed herein, seem to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Capparis spinosa L. is a Mediterranean shrub widely used in traditional herbal medicine. This medicinal plant possesses several biological activities such as antioxidant, hepatoprotective and immunomodulatory effects. The present study aims to assess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Algerian C. spinosa methanolic extracts from leaves (LME), stems (SME) and fruits (FME). Determination of total polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins was carried out using colorimetric methods. Antioxidant properties were evaluated using free radical scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS, reducing power and β-carotene/linoleic acid tests. The Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using carrageenan induced paw edema (CIPE), xylene (XIEE) and croton oil-induced ear edema (CIEE) models. The results showed that LME contains the highest concentrations of polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins. This extract also showed the highest reducing power (EC50= 32.83 ± 0.57 μg/ml), and scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS radicals (IC50 = 30.51 ± 1.86 μg/ml and 11.93± 0.08 μg/ml, respectively), whilst the preventing of β-carotene bleaching was strong and similar for the three studied extracts. Unlike stem, both leaf and fruit exerted anti-edematous effect on all studied models. In conclusion, these results confirmed that C. spinosa parts possess different antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects related to their content in polyphenol and/or flavonoid contents, and justify the wide traditional use of this plant. Extracts of C. spinosa can serve as a good source of phytoconstituents used as drugs to treat inflammatory illness.

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