Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronically recurrent inflammatory bowel disease of
unknown origin. The aim of the present study is to evaluate possible protective effects
of ginger extract (GE) on the extent and severity of UC causedby intracolonic
administration of acetic acid in rats. Animals received either GE (100, 200 and 400
mg/kg) or sulphasalazine (500 mg/kg), for 3 consecutive days before intra-rectal
acetic acid administration (1 ml, 4% v/v), and continued for another 7 days after the
induction. The degree of tissue injuries was assessed by macroscopical and
histopathological scores of the colonic mucosa. the biochemical studies involve the
redox state including colon mucosal content of malondialdehyde (MDA) as an index
of lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH) and protein carbonyl content (PCO) as
indexes of protein oxidation as well as the activity of catalase and superoxide
dismutase (SOD) enzymes in addition to some indicators of the inflammatory
response myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, index of neutrophilic infiltration, and the
tissue contents of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and prostaglandin E2(PGE2). Oral
pretreatment with ginger extract and sulphasalazine were able to correct altered
parameters significantly. Moreover, ginger extract attenuated the macroscopic
colonic damage and the histopathological changes-induced by acetic acid. These
results suggest a beneficial protective effect of ginger extract against acetic acid-induced colitis possibly by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.