The effects of Gingko biloba extract on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although the pathophysiology of IBD is not known with certainty, immunological processes and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been proposed to contribute considerably in development of tissue injury (1-4). A growing body of experimental and clinical data suggests that chronic gut inflammation may result from a dysregulated immune response to normal bacterial antigens. This uncontrolled immune system activation results in the sustained overproduction of reactive metabolites of oxygen and nitrogen. It is thought that some of the intestinal and/or colonic injury and dysfunction observed in IBD is due to elaboration of these reactive species (5). Attenuating oxidative stress in IBD patients has already been a therapeutic strategy for 50 years. Commonly used drugs, in particular sulfasalazine and its active moiety 5-aminosalicylic acid, are potent ROS Turk J Gastroenterol 2006; 17 (3): 177-182