Role of dietary maize formulations in the healing of experimental acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis in male rats

Dietary factors do not only contribute to remission of diseases but also play important roles in the progression of medical conditions. We investigated the effect of different formulations of maize diets on the healing of experimental acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in male rats. Thirty-five (35) male Wistar rats (150-170 g) were randomly divided into control (CTR), UC, UC + high maize diet (HMD), UC + low maize diet (LMD), and UC + maize-free diet (MFD) groups. CTR, UC, UC + HMD, UC + LMD, and UC + MFD groups were administered different formulations of dietary maize ranging from 0% to 70%. Body weight change (BWC), colon weight, macroscopic ulcer score, catalase, glutathione (GSH), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), myeloperoxidase, diarrhea score, superoxide dismutase (SOD), Ki-67 expression, and histological studies were done. Results were analyzed using SPSS 23. UC + LMD and UC + MFD groups showed a duration-dependent reduction in negative BWC, respectively. When compared with UC group, UC + LMD and UC + MFD significantly increased (P < 0.05) GSH and SOD respectively but had no effect on TNF-alpha and diarrhea score. UC + HMD increased diarrhea and macroscopic ulcer scores with Ki-67 expression highest in UC + MFD. The study indicated that consumption of either LMD or maize-free diet by colitic rats relatively enhanced healing of UC.