Oral administration of rutoside can ameliorate inflammatory bowel disease in rats

Rutoside, a flavonoid with antioxidant properties, was tested for acute and chronic antiinflammatory activity in trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced rat colitis. Pretreatment with 10 or 25 mg/kg of rutoside by the oral route reduced colonic damage at 2 days. Several mechanisms can be involved in this activity, and one of these may be related to its ability in preventing glutathione depletion of colitic animals, and this could result in mucosal protection against oxidative insult. When rutoside was tested for 1 and 2 weeks after colitis induction, it was able to promote colonic healing. The chronic effect of the flavonoid was also related with its ability to increase colonic glutathione levels and thus reduce the tissue damage derived from intestinal oxidative stress which characterizes inflammatory colitis.