Effects of Changtai granules, a traditional compound Chinese medicine, on chronic trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of Changtai granules (CTG), a traditional compound Chinese medicine, on chronic trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis in rats.


METHODS
Healthy adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats of both sexes, weighing 250-300 g, were employed in the present study. The rat colitis models were induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) enemas at a concentration of 100 mg/kg in 50% ethanol. The experimental animals were randomly divided into dexamethasone (DX) treatment, CTG treatment, and model control groups, which were intracolicly treated daily with DX (0.2 mg/kg), CTG at doses of 2.9, 5.7 and 11.4 g crude drug/kg, and the equal amount of saline respectively from 6 h following induction of the colitis in rats inflicted with TNBS to the end of study. A normal control group of rats treated without TNBS but saline enema was also included in the study. After 3 wk of treatment, the animals were assessed for colonal inflammatory and ulcerative responses with respect to mortality, frequency of diarrhea, histology and myeloperoxidase activity (MPO).


RESULTS
The therapeutic effect of CTG on ulcerative colitis (UC) was better than DX. CTG effectively inhibited the activity of granulocytes, macrophages and monocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Also it reduced MPO and formation of inflammation in colonic mucosal tissue. Furthermore, administration of CTG significantly prevented body mass loss and death, and decreased frequency of diarrhea in UC rats, when compared with the model control group rats.


CONCLUSIONS
CTG would prove to be an ideal drug for chronic UC, and is warranted to be studied further.
Cao
Yong-Bing
YB
Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Guohe Road 325, Shanghai 200433, China.
Zhang
Jun-Dong
JD
Diao
Ya-Ying
YY
Yan
Lan
L
Wang
De-Jun
DJ
Jia
Xin-Ming
XM
Gao
Ping-Hui
PH
Cheng
Ming-He
MH
Xu
Zheng
Z
Wang
Yan
Y
Jiang
Yuan-Ying
YY
D000818:Animals; D003092:Colitis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D007249:Inflammation; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*
D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid