Protective effect of stobadine in experimental colitis.

To assess the possible role of reactive oxygen species in inflammatory bowel disease, the effect of the antioxidant and free radical scavenger stobadine was studied in acetic acid-induced experimental colitis. Stobadine administered locally into the colon was found to reduce the extent of colonic mucosal injury, abolish the increase in myeloperoxidase activity, attenuate the enhanced vascular permeability, and prevent the depletion of reduced glutathione. The attempt to reduce pharmacologically excessive free radical production and oxidative damage in the inflamed colonic mucosa may be regarded as a complementary treatment of ulcerative colitis.