Clinical and Structural Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Herbal Preparation, Iberogast, in a Rat Model of Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Plant-sourced formulations such as Iberogast and the traditional Chinese medicine formulation, Cmed, purportedly possess anti-inflammatory and radical scavenging properties. We investigated Iberogast and Cmed, independently, for their potential to decrease the severity of the large bowel inflammatory disorder, ulcerative colitis. Sprague Dawley rats (n = 8/group) received daily 1 mL gavages (days 0-13) of water, Iberogast (100 μL/200 μL), or Cmed (10 mg/20 mg). Rats ingested 2% dextran sulfate sodium or water ad libitum for 7 days commencing on day 5. Dextran sulfate sodium administration increased disease activity index scores from days 6 to 12, compared with water controls (P