Portulaca Extract Attenuates Development of Dextran Sulfate Sodium Induced Colitis in Mice through Activation of PPARγ

Abstract

Portulaca oleracea L. is a traditional Chinese medicine, which has been used as adjuvant therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanism of its activity in IBD still remains unclear. Since previous studies have documented the anti-inflammatory effect of peroxisome proliferator activated receptors-γ (PPAR-γ), Portulaca regulation of PPAR-γ in inflammation was examined in current study. Ulcerative colitis (UC) was generated by 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in mice and four groups were established as normal control, DSS alone, DSS plus mesalamine, and DSS plus Portulaca. Severity of UC was evaluated by body weight, stool blood form, and length of colorectum. Inflammation was examined by determination of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-a, IL-6, and IL-1a). Portulaca extract was able to attenuate development of UC in DSS model similar to the treatment of mesalazine. Moreover, Portulaca extract inhibited proinflammatory cytokines release and reduced the level of DSS-induced NF-κB phosphorylation. Furthermore, Portulaca extract restored PPAR-γ level, which was reduced by DSS. In addition, Portulaca extract protected DSS induced apoptosis in mice. In conclusion, Portulaca extract can alleviate colitis in mice through regulation of inflammatory reaction, apoptosis, and PPAR-γ level; therefore, Portulaca extract can be a potential candidate for the treatment of IBD.

Protective effects of pterostilbene on ulcerative colitis in rats via suppressing NF-κB pathway and activating PPAR-γ

“…6 Previous studies have reported that PPAR-γ could inhibit the expression of NF-κB phosphorylation in cells. 20 In our study, consistent with the report, the expression of PPAR-γ declined in colitis tissue. The proteins of Occludin and ZO-1 are essential for the control of endothelial permeability, the main proteins involved in the tight junction complex.…”

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors: Experimental Targeting for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

“…Thus, inhibition of the NF-kB pathway could be an effective target for IBD therapy. In this way, recent studies in DSS-induced colitis mice have shown the ability of natural compounds, such as magnolol, an active ingredient of Magnolia officinalis (Shen et al, 2018), and Portulaca oleracea extract (Kong et al, 2018), from traditional Chinese medicine, to counteract the expression of cytokines, such as TNF-a, IL-1b, and IL-12, via the regulation of NF-kB and PPARg pathways. Another natural compound, Sargahydroquinoic acid isolated from Sargassum incisifolium, and its semisynthetic derivatives have shown agonist activity of PPARg in in vitro assays (Nyambe et al, 2019).…”

Targeting NF-κB pathway for treating ulcerative colitis: comprehensive regulatory characteristics of Chinese medicines

“…Experimental results demonstrate that the ethanol extract from POL (100, 200 and 400 mg/ kg) treatment increases the colon length, decreases body weight loss and reduces the mRNA expressions of TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6 and the protein expressions of TNF-α and NF-kBp65 in DSS-induced C57BL/6 mice UC model [89]. Additionally, therapeutic effects of portulaca extract (100 mg/kg) is similar to that of mesalazine, which presents reducing the expression levels of these cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β and the level of DSSinduced NF-κB phosphorylation [90].…”