Antioxidant and Intestinal Anti-inflammatory Activities of the Ethanolic Extract of Fumaria capreolata in Experimental Animals of Colitis

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex disorder that affects several populations around the world. The conventional treatments of IBD are associated with a heap of undesirable side effects. Therefore, the development of new treatment agents, particularly from natural sources, is urgent to reduce the widespread of this disease. Objective: We aimed to investigate the intestinal anti-inflammatory effect of the ethanolic extract from Fumaria Capreolata (EFC) against colitis induced in mice. Methods: Once the safety of EFC has been established through the evaluation of acute toxicity in vivo, we conducted an experiment on the BALB/c mouse model of colitis induced by DNBS to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory effect of three doses of EFC (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg). In addition, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract using the Folin-Ciocalteu and the DPPH radical scavenging methods. Results and Discussion: It was determined that the EFC extract has a high content of polyphenolic components along with potent antioxidant properties against the DPPH radical. Furthermore, EFC significantly reduced the degree of histological lesions and restored the mice's colons to their normal weight and length. Additionally, the pro-inflammatory and prooxidant (MPO) marker was considerably decreased by EFC. On the other hand, EFC increased the antioxidant marker Catalase activity. Conclusion: These results suggest that the ethanolic extract of F. Capreolata exerts potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and may serve as a candidate for more research and development of effective and natural therapeutic agents against inflammatory bowel disease.