Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a group of chronic, incurable diseases of the
digestive tract. Chronic inflammation underlies the aetiology of IBD and is closely
associated with oxidative/nitrosative stress and a vast generation of reactive oxygen/nitrogen
species. Several substances with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are
now intensively researched as possible adjunctive or independent treatment options
in IBD. Among them, resveratrol (RES), a natural polyphenol is increasingly studied
for its possible protective properties against IBD.
In the present study, we aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of RES
in three different doses. For this reason, RES supplementation was carried out for
28 days per os. A total of 65 male Wistar-Hannover rats were randomly divided into
7 groups: CTRL, EtOH, TNBS, RES: 5, 10, 20 mg/kg, SASP. On the 25th day of the experiment,
animals were challenged by intracolonic injection of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic
acid (TNBS) to model IBD. Animals were sacrificed on the 29th day of the experiment.
The potential anti-inflammatory effect was investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay (ELISA) and western blot.
The histological features of the gut wall, especially the tunica mucosa layer showed
clearly visible differences in the investigated groups. Based on our histological
and planimetric analysis 10 mg/kg dose of RES is considered to be effective and significantly
attenuated ulceration of the colon compared to the TNBS group. Furthermore, RES-induced
protection at a concentration of 10mg/kg/day was mediated by the modulation of inflammatory
parameter, such as myeloperoxidase (MPO). RES supplementation also caused a decrease
in inflammation by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as
tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). In addition, our immunohistochemical findings
showed that 10 mg/kg/day of RES attenuated the intensity of TNF-α receptors, TNFR1
and TNFR2 in the colon compared to TNBS. In conclusion, our results indicate the protective
effects of RES in acute low-grade inflammation in TNBS rats and suggest that RES may
be a promising therapeutic alternative in the treatment of IBD.