Morus macroura Miq. Fruit extract protects against acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats: Novel mechanistic insights on its impact on miRNA-223 and on the TNFα/NFκB/NLRP3 inflammatory axis

Nod-like receptor pyrin domain-1 containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome/tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF kappa B) inflammatory pathway is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). Inversely, miRNA-223 can exert counter-regulatory effect on NLRP3 expression. The mulberry tree (Morus macroura) fruit is attaining increased importance for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in addition to its high safety profile. Accordingly, we attempted to explore the possible protective effect of mulberry fruit extract (MFE) in acetic acid (AA)-induced UC rat model. Phytochemical constituents of MFE were characterized using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). In the in vivo study, three doses of MFE were orally given for seven days before intra-rectal induction of UC by AA on day eight. Screening study revealed that MFE (300 mg/kg) significantly reduced macroscopic and microscopic UC scores. Biochemically, MFE ameliorated oxidative stress, levels of TNFR1, NLRP3, p-NF kappa B p65, TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-18, caspase-1 activity, but enhanced miRNA-223 expression. In conclusion, our study provided a novel protective impact for MFE against UC, in which miRNA-223 and TNF alpha/NF kappa B/NLRP3 pathway are involved. These results provide a promising step that might encourage further investigations of MFE as a protective agent in UC patients.

Automated summary

In this study, we investigated the protective effect of MFE in an AA-induced UC rat model. The results showed that MFE could alleviate UC pathology and inflammatory reactions, and increase the expression of miRNA-223. These findings suggest that MFE may be a promising protective agent for UC patients.