Protective effect of alcoholic extract of stem of Entada pursaetha in dextran sulphate sodium-induced colitis in mice.

Oxidative stress has been shown to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). Entada pursaetha has been demonstrated to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of stem of alcoholic extract of E. pursaetha (PSE) in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. The protective effect of PSE was determined at three different doses of 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight by oral gavage for 7 days. Morphological (colon length and colon weight/length ratio), clinical (disease activity index) and macroscopic (damage score) features were determined using standard criteria. Lipid peroxides (determined as malonaldehyde; MDA), enzymatic (superoxide dismutase; SOD and catalase; CAT) and non- enzymatic antioxidants (reduced glutathione; GSH), nitrate and nitrite (NOx) levels and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in colon tissues were determined. The DSS damaged the colonic tissue, increased MPO activity, lipid peroxidation and NOx levels, reduced the antioxidant enzymes and glutathione and lowered the body weight. PSE significantly reduced the inflammation of colon and reversed the increase in MPO activity induced by DSS. It also significantly increased the SOD and catalase activities and did not elicit any effect on depleted levels of GSH in the colonic tissue. In addition, PSE also significantly decreased colonic NOx and MDA levels compared to DSS-treated mice; reduced both infiltration of inflammatory cells and the mucosal damage in colon on histopathological examination. The results suggested the protective potential of PSE in DSS-induced colitis and this might be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

Protective effect of alcoholic extract of Entada pursaetha DC. against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

The alcoholic extract of stem of E. pursaetha (PSE, 30, 100, 300 mg/kg body weight, po for 7 days) showed hepatoprotective activity against CCl4 (2 mL/kg body weight, ip)-induced hepatotoxicity. The extract exhibited a significant dose-dependent hepatoprotective effect comparable to standard drug silymarin, by preventing increase in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, and total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase; by lowering hepatic levels of malonaldehyde, nitrate-nitrite, myeloperoxidase activity; enhancing activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, catalase and increasing reduced glutathione levels in liver, which suggests the antioxidant property of PSE. Histopathological studies also supported the above biochemical parameters. The results suggested that alcoholic extract of E. pursaetha possesses significant hepatoprotective activity in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity in rats and this is likely to be mediated through its antioxidant activities.