ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the effects of ethanol extract of Hedyotis Diffusae Herba (EEHDH) on chronic ulcerative colitis (UC) and the inhibition on intestinal tissue abnormalities hyperplasia. Methods: The C57 mice were randomly divided into five groups: normal, DSS, low-, mid-, and high-dose (2.5, 10.0, and 20.0 g/kg) EEHDH groups. The DSS-induced UC model was employed. The body weight, hematochezia, and stool property were recorded to evaluate the change of physiology daily. The pathology changes of colonic mucosa tissue of mice were evaluated by HE staining, and the expression changes of inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α in serum and tissues were detected by ELISA and real-time PCR, as well as immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the positive rate of Ki67 of the nuclear antigen in epithelial cells of colonic tissues. Results: Compared to the model group, the treatment with mid- and high-dose EEHDH has a relatively slower weight loss and a faster recovery when the stimulation is gone; Meanwhile the symptoms of diarrhea and hematochezia are significantly improved, the pathological damage and intestinal tissue dysplasia are alleviated; The inflammatory factors IL-6, TNF-α, and the positive rate of Ki67 are significantly decreased. Conclusion: EEHDH could attenuate DSS-induced UC and decrease pathological injury, inflammation invasion, and abnormalities hyperplasia, by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-α, which indicates that EEHDH is of great value in the treatment of UC and colitis-associated cancer.