Protective effects of lithium on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial disease with unknown etiology characterized by oxidative stress, leukocyte infiltration, and rise in inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha). Lithium, as a therapeutic agent for bipolar disorder, exerts some anti-inflammatory properties. In this study we have investigated the effects of lithium on acetic-acid-induced colitis in rats. Lithium (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) was administered 1 h before the introduction of acetic acid. Colonic status was investigated 24 h following colitis induction through macroscopic, histological, and biochemical analyses. Lithium (20 mg/kg) ameliorated macroscopic and microscopic scores. These observations were accompanied by a reduction in the degree of both neutrophil infiltration, indicated by decreased myeloperoxidase activity, and lipid peroxidation, as measured by a decline in malondialdehyde content in inflamed colon as well as a decrease in TNF-alpha levels. These findings suggest that lithium exerts beneficial effects on experimental colitis and therefore might be useful in the treatment of IBD.
Daneshmand
Ali
A
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Rahimian
Reza
R
Mohammadi
Hamed
H
Ejtemaee-Mehr
Shahram
S
Tavangar
Seyed Mohammad
SM
Babaei Kelishomi
Roohollah
R
Dehpour
Ahamd Reza
AR
D019342:Acetic Acid; D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003106:Colon / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018020:Lithium Compounds; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D009195:Peroxidase; D019342:Acetic Acid