In Vitro Protective Effects of a Standardized Extract of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Cladodes and Olea europaea L. Leaves Against Indomethacin-Induced Intestinal Epithelial Cell Injury

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can induce serious adverse effects in gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa, increasing intestinal permeability and leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation. As proton pump inhibitors are effective in protecting against NSAID-induced gastropathy but not NSAID-induced enteropathy, current research is focused on natural products as protective substances for therapy and prevention of intestinal injury. Herein, through the use of an in vitro model based on intestinal epithelial cell (Caco-2) damage caused by indomethacin (INDO), we examined the protective activity of a commercially available standardized extract (OFI+OE) from <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> (L.) Mill. cladodes and <i>Olea europaea</i> L. leaves. Pre-treatment with OFI+OE prevented INDO-induced intestinal epithelial barrier damage, as demonstrated by TEER measurement, fluorescein permeability, and tight junction protein expression. The extract showed positive effects against INDO-induced oxidative stress and correlated activation of apoptosis, decreasing pro-apoptotic markers BAX and Caspase-3 and increasing anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2. Moreover, the extract inhibited the NF-κB pathway and pro-inflammatory cascade. In conclusion, these data support the use of OFI+OE extract as a natural strategy for therapy and prevention of intestinal mucosal damage, demonstrating its beneficial effects against INDO-induced intestinal damage, through modulation of oxidative, apoptotic, and inflammatory pathways.