Prevention of tri-nitrobenzene of sulfonic acid-induced colitis in chicken by using extract of Aloe vera

Aim: Aloe vera, species of succulent plant in the genus Aloe, has multiple clinical activities and used routinely to accelerate wound healing. The present study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Aloe vera extracts (AVE) in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: The effect of crude AVE on inducible nitric oxide production by LPS/IFNg-stimulated cultured macrophages was evaluated. The therapeutic effect of administering crude Aloe vera extracts (100 mg/kg b.w.) on the development of tri-nitrobenzene of sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis (40 mg/kg b. w.) in chicken was also investigated. Chicken is a valuable model for this purpose because it showed preference to bitter taste of Aloe vera. Diverse clinical pictures of the colitis including weight loss, diarrhea and histopathological changes were evaluated. Results: Nitrite production by LPS/IFNg-stimulated macrophages was maximally reduced by adding of AVE (100 μg/ml). This result suggests a direct inhibitory effect of AVE on the inflammatory cells. Chicks treated orally with AVE showed improvement of the histological signs with no inflammatory cell infiltrates and reduction of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities when compared with colitis control group. AVE pretreatment ameliorated significantly the clinical and histopathological severity of the TNBS-induced colitis; decreased body weight loss and diarrhea and increased survival. Conclusion: It was concluded that oral administration of AVE represents a valuable therapeutic approach for the treatment of colitis in chicken. [Vet. World 2012; 5(8.000): 469-476