Ameliorative effect of galantamine on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats

Galantamine (GAL) is a drug for treating Alzheimer’s disease which has reasonable and no significant side effects. Studies have shown that GAL possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cholinomimetic effects that might be beneficial for inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of GAL on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. GAL at 0.25, 1.25, 2.5 mg/kg/day was administrated orally (p.o.) to different groups of male Wistar rats 2 h before induction of ulcer with acetic acid 3% and continued for 5 consecutive days. Dicyclomine (DIC) was similarly used alone (5 mg/kg/day, p.o.) or together with GAL at doses already mentioned to delineate the impact of muscarinic pathway in probable beneficial effects of GAL on colitis. Control and reference groups received distilled water (5 mL/kg, p.o.), prednisolone (4 mg/kg/day, p.o.), or mesalazine (100 mg/kg/day, p.o.) respectively. At day 6, tissue injuries were assessed for macroscopic, histopathologic, and biochemical indices of myeloperoxidase and MPO activity. Results showed that GAL at 3 applied doses, alone or in combination with DIC diminished ulcer index, total colitis index, and MPO activity as important biomarkers of colitis. DIC alone was not effective on most parameters and its concurrent administration with GAL couldn’t reverse its antiulcerative effects. Prednisolone and mesalazine were both effective in this relation. The current research indicated that GAL had anti-inflammatory and antiulcerative activities independent of its muscarinic effects. Thus the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may account for its anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerative properties. Nevertheless, further detailed studies are warranted for exact elucidation of GAL mechanism on inflammation and colitis.