Protective effects of conventional and colon-targeted lycopene and linalool on ulcerative colitis induced by acetic acid in rats

Objective To compare the potential protective effects of conventional and colon-targeted lycopene (TLC) and linalool (TLN) on acetic acid (AA)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats. Methods Conventional and colon-targeted LC (10 mg/kg) and LN (200 mg/kg) were administered in vivo orally for 7 days and sulfasalazine (100 mg/kg) was also used as reference drug. Then, 4% AA was administered intrarectally to induce UC. Subsequently, the colon tissues were taken as samples for biochemical and histopathological analysis. Results Malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels were decreased ( p