Supercritical Fluid Extract of Angelica sinensis and Zingiber officinale Roscoe Ameliorates TNBS-Induced Colitis in Rats

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a worldwide healthcare problem calling for the development of new therapeutic drugs. Angelica sinensis and Zingiber officinale Roscoe are two common dietetic Chinese herbs, which are traditionally used for complementary treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. As bioactive constituents, volatile and pungent substances of these two herbs could be effectively extracted together by supercritical fluid extraction. In this study, the supercritical fluid extract of Angelica sinensis and Zingiber officinale Roscoe (AZ-SFE) was obtained by an optimized extraction process and it was chemically characterized. The anti-inflammatory effect and underlying mechanism of AZ-SFE were evaluated in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cell model and a 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis rat model. AZ-SFE notably inhibited the production of NO in LPS-stimulated macrophages, and it inhibited the proliferation of Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced splenocytes with suppression of the Th1 immune response. In vivo, the study demonstrated that AZ-SFE significantly alleviated disease activity, colonic shortening, macroscopic damage and histological injury of TNBS-treated rats with reduction of oxidative stress, suppression of inflammatory cytokines, and modulation of hepcidin and serum iron. These findings suggested that AZ-SFE may be a promising supplement for current IBD therapy.