Prophylactic effects of Acanthopanax senticosus Harms on the development of colitis in mice

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), comprises chronic relapsing inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Although the acute dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‑induced murine colitis model does not reproduce chronic human IBD, it reflects acute colonic epithelial injury and superficial mucosal inflammation, which are more characteristic of UC than of Crohn's disease. Therefore, the present study investigated whether the root extract of Acanthopanax senticosus Harms (ASH) exerts a prophylactic effect in an acute DSS‑induced experimental colitis model in mice. Mice were fed a chow diet containing 5% ASH for 28 days, followed by water containing 3% DSS for 7 days to induce acute colitis. After DSS administration, mice fed the ASH diet exhibited significant inhibition of colon shortening and a reduction in clinical disease severity compared with the control group. Furthermore, the elevated levels of pro‑inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers in the serum were mitigated. Mechanistically, ASH pretreatment was associated with reduced NADPH oxidase 2 expression, relative restoration of nuclear factor erythroid 2‑related factor 2 expression and increased Cu/Zn‑superoxide dismutase expression in the colon. These findings suggested that ASH pretreatment attenuated acute DSS‑induced experimental colitis by alleviating mucosal inflammation and restoring redox homeostasis.