New pharmacological targets of three species using and models of inflammation and oxidative stress.

This study explored the efficacy of the methanolic extract of three species ( subsp. subsp. var. , and ) to protect against hydrogen peroxide (HO)-induced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in HCT116 cells, and also any protective effects against lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced nitrite levels, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) levels, 5HIAA/5-HT ratio, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 gene expression in rat colon specimens. Interestingly, extract was most effective in improving the tested biomarkers, by reducing LDH activity and nitrite level. On the other hand, was the only species able to blunt LPS-induced TNF-α gene expression in rat colon specimens. The present findings highlighted the protective effects of extracts via and models of inflammation and oxidative stress, adding new insights to the pharmacological actions of these medicinal plant species. IBD: inflammatory bowel disease; LPS: lipopolysaccharide; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; 5HIAA: 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid; 5-HT: 5-hydroxytryptamine.