Combined Administration of Vitamin D(3) and Geniposide Is Less Effective than Single Use of Vitamin D(3) or Geniposide in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

With the increasing incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) in China, Chinese medicinal herbs or relatively active compounds are widely applied in treating UC. These medicines may be combined with other therapeutic agents such as vitamin D(3). Nevertheless, the efficacy of these combinations for UC is unclear. Geniposide is an active component in many Chinese herbal medicines. It could ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)–induced colitis in mice. This study was designed to determine the efficacy and mechanism of the single use and combination of geniposide and vitamin D(3) on a mouse model of acute colitis. Data showed that a single administration of geniposide (2 mg/kg) or vitamin D(3) (4 IU/day) could significantly improve the symptoms of UC and relieve colon damage. Geniposide and vitamin D could significantly decrease the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum and colon, and increase the level of IL-10 in the colon. However, the combined treatment of geniposide (2 mg/kg) and vitamin D(3) (4 IU/day) exerted less beneficial effects on UC in mice, indicating by less improvement of UC symptoms, colon damage, and inflammatory infiltration. The combination only downregulated the level of TNF-α in serum and IL-6 in the colon. Our data further demonstrated that geniposide could inhibit the activation of p38 MAPK and then restrict the vitamin D receptor signaling stimulated by vitamin D(3). These results implied that the combination of geniposide and vitamin D(3) might not be an ideal combined treatment for acute colitis, and the combination of vitamin D supplementary and geniposide (or herbal medicines rich in geniposide) need more evaluation before being applied to treat UC in clinic.