# Protective effects of dill fruit against acute acetic acid‐induced ulcerative colitis by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in rats

## TL;DR

This study shows that dill fruit extract can protect against ulcerative colitis in rats by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the novel protective effects of dill fruit extract in a rat model of ulcerative colitis.

## Key findings

- Dill fruit extract reduced colonic inflammation and tissue damage in rats with ulcerative colitis.
- The extract's antioxidant properties helped maintain redox balance and intracellular homeostasis.
- Dill fruit extract showed potential as a natural treatment for ulcerative colitis.

## Abstract

Nutritherapy is the art of using nutrients as a means of preventing or correcting dysfunction in the body. We aimed to evaluate the protective effect of dill fruit aqueous extract (DFAE) against acetic acid‐induced ulcerative colitis. Healthy male rats (N = 42) were divided into seven groups of six animals each, with groups 1 and 2 being controls, groups 3, 4, and 5 given increasing doses of DFAE (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, b.w., p.o.), and groups 6 and 7 were given sulfasalazine (100 mg/kg, b.w., p.o.) and gallic acid (50 mg/kg, b.w., p.o.), respectively, during 10 days. In vitro, we found that DFAE's IC50 exhibited a significant antioxidant capacity due to its high phenolic content. The in vivo studies showed that the pre‐treatment with DFAE significantly reduced AA‐induced morphological and histopathological alterations of the colonic mucosa. The antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory power of DFAE maintained the redox equilibrium and preserved the intracellular mediators' homeostasis. Our data may suggest that dill fruit is a promising candidate for treating ulcerative colitis by controlling oxidative stress and inflammation.

In this graphical abstract, we demonstrated the protective effects of dill fruit against acute acetic acid‐induced ulcerative colitis due to its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties.