Effect of egg white and honey enema on ulcerative colitis in an animal model

Abstract

Egg and honey contain a variety of bioactive compounds that can influence pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways and have effects on oxidative stress. In this study, the effects of egg white and honey against acetic acid-induced colitis were investigated in rats. Forty adult rats were divided into five groups (n = 7), group I (normal saline), group II (egg white), group III (honey), group IV (Asacol® 100 mg/ml used as a positive control), and group V (combination of honey and egg white 50:50 v/v). Medications (2 cc/day) were administered rectally for a period of 6 days after induction of colitis using 2% acetic acid. Animals were killed on day 7 and colonic biopsies were taken for histopathological scoring. The concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and TNF-α was measured on the samples of the colon tissue that were frozen in liquid nitrogen. At 1 week, the histological damage was severe, and the MDA and TNF-α were high throughout the study without any treatment. Honey decreased the TNF-α and MDA tissue levels towards normal levels significantly (P < 0.05). Combination of honey and egg white was not better than honey alone as an anti-inflammatory agent. In the animal model of ulcerative colitis, rectal administration of honey significantly reduced the colonic inflammation. The present study indicates that honey is efficacious in the acetic acid-induced rat colitis model, but these results require further confirmation in human studies and determination of active ingredients.