The effect of theophylline on acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis in rats

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis is a relapsing inflammatory disorder of the colon. There is a need to explore the new treatments for this disorder. Theophylline, a competitive inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, is shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of theophylline on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy 2017-06, Vol.90, p.153-159
Main Authors: Ghasemi-Pirbaluti, Masoumeh, Motaghi, Ehsan, Najafi, Ali, Hosseini, Mohammad Javad
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetic Acid - pharmacology
Animals
Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology
Colitis, Ulcerative - chemically induced
Colitis, Ulcerative - metabolism
Colon - drug effects
Colon - metabolism
Cytokine
Disease Models, Animal
Interleukin-1beta - metabolism
Interleukin-6 - metabolism
Internal Medicine
Male
Medical Education
Myeloperoxidase
Peroxidase - metabolism
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Theophylline
Theophylline - pharmacology
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism
Ulceration
Ulcerative colitis
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Summary:Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis is a relapsing inflammatory disorder of the colon. There is a need to explore the new treatments for this disorder. Theophylline, a competitive inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, is shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of theophylline on ulcerative colitis has not yet been investigated. The present study evaluated the effect of theophylline on acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis in rats. Materials and methods Colitis was induced by instillation of 2 ml of acetic acid solution (3%). Colon samples were evaluated grossly and microscopically and assayed for myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and proinflammatory cytokine concentrations. Results Treatment with theophylline at the doses of 20 and 50 mg/kg attenuated acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis as shown by improvement in body weight loss, macroscopic score, ulcer area, hematocrit and histopathological score. Theophylline treatment also reduced MPO activity and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1 β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) concentrations in inflamed colon. Conclusion Theophylline has a protective effect in acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis which might be due to its anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, theophylline has the potential to be used for successful treatment of ulcerative colitis.
ISSN:0753-3322
1950-6007
DOI:10.1016/j.biopha.2017.03.038