Panax notoginseng Attenuates Experimental Colitis in the Azoxymethane/Dextran Sulfate Sodium Mouse Model

Patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease are at a high risk of developing colorectal cancer. To assess the anticancer potential of botanicals, in this study, we evaluated the effects of Panax notoginseng on azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. One week after A/J mice received azoxymethane, the animals received DSS for 8days or were supplemented with P.notoginseng extract, at 30 or 90mg/kg. DSS-induced colitis was scored with the disease activity index. The severity of the inflammatory lesions was evaluated by a colon tissue histological assessment. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were also explored. We observed that the effects of P.notoginseng on the reduction of colon inflammation, expressed in disease activity index score, were in a dose-related manner (p<0.01). P.notoginseng inhibited the reduction of the colon length and the loss of bodyweight in dose-related manner (all p<0.05). The histological assessment of the colitis and inflammatory-related immunohistochemical data also supported the pharmacological observations. Our data suggest that P.notoginseng is a promising candidate in preventing and treating colitis and inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.