Azilsartan Mitigates Dextran Sulfate-induced Colitis in Rats via Modulating Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Background: Ulcerative colitis is a persistent mucosal inflammation of the bowel that impacts a high portion of the population worldwide. It often presents with symptoms of severe diarrhea, weight reduction, and perianal bleeding. Objective: To investigate the potential anti-inflammatory effects of azilsartan on dextran sulfate-induced ulcerative colitis in rats. Methods: Forty healthy adult albino rats were divided into 4 groups, as follows: the normal control group, the DSS group, DSS+ prednisolone (10 mg/kg/day) group, and DSS+azilsartan (10 mg/kg/day) group. The colitis induction was prompted in rats by administering 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. Results: The administration of azilsartan notably decreased edema index, spleen index, macroscopic changes scores, and microscopic changes scores that were produced by DSS. Additionally, azilsartan markedly reduced the proinflammatory cytokine expression, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in colon tissue. Furthermore, azilsartan significantly attenuated oxidative stress in colonic tissue by decreasing up-regulated myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme activity and increasing down-regulated catalase antioxidant activity. Conclusions: Azilsartan may have an effective role in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.