COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF THE LEAVES OF MURRAYA KOENIGII AND CENTELLA ASIATICA IN EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN ANIMALS

Ulcerative colitis was defined as a common intestinal infla-mmatory disease characterized by upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. The leaves of Murraya koenigii and Centella asiatica had been used in traditional medicine to treat the disease. The present study aimed to perform a comparative protective efficacy evaluation between Murraya koenigii and Centella asiatica on acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats. Rats were randomly categorized into nine groups: control, acetic acid, standard drug, acetic acid + extract of Murraya koenigii (50, 100, 200 mg/kg), and acetic acid + extract of Centella asiatica (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) groups. After 5 days of feeding, colitis was induced in the experimental animal groups by transrectal administration of 1ml of 4% acetic acid. The rats were sacrificed after 24 hr of rectal installation, and their colon tissues were examined. Pretreatment with extract of Murraya koenigii and Centella asiatica significantly reduced colon weight-length, macroscopic scores, histological changes, and upregulated the enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). The above results indicated that oral administration of extract of Murraya koenigii and Centella asiatica ameliorated acetic acid-induced colitis in rats via antioxidative effects and by having a comparative study between the above parameter, it was found that the leaves of Centella asiatica had more potent activity. Therefore, Centella asiatica might be considered an effective therapeutic candidate for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.