Antioxidative mechanisms and anticolitic potential of Desmodium styracifolium (Osb.) Merr. in DSS-induced colitic mice

[Display omitted] •Desmodium styracifolium extract had flavonoids as the potent antioxidants.•The herb extract reduced oxidative stress via hydrogen atom transfer pathway.•The treatment also reduced the inflammatory markers of the colonic tissues.•Anticolitic effect of the herb extract was due to the low oxidative stress. This study aimed to determine the anticolitic effect of Desmodium styracifolium (DS) extract in ulcerative colitis (UC) mice and its possible antioxidative mechanisms. Phenolic antioxidants and free radical scavenging activities of the herb extract were determined. LCMS was used to identify phenolic compounds in the herbal extract. Ulcerative colitis in C57BL/6 SPF mice was induced with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). The mice were treated with two doses of the DS extract during the 7-day experiment. Colon length, spleen weight, histopathological changes in colonic tissues, and disease activity index (DAI) of the mice were measured. The bioactive antioxidants in DS extract were flavonoids. The DS extract-treated UC mice had a lower DAI than the untreated UC mice. Also, the herbal treatment had downregulated expressions of proinflammatory cytokine genes in the colonic tissues of the mice compared to the control. Therefore, it is a potent anti-inflammatory agent for reducing UC symptoms.