Anemia is a neglected manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) although it is commonly observed in IBD patients. Attempts to overcome anemia in IBD would help not only general well being of the patients but also minimize disease consequences. In this experimental study, the possible hematoprotective effects of lycopene and NG nitro-L- arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on colitis induced by TNBS were analyzed. 112 rats were assigned to 16 groups; control group, intrarectal 120 mg/kg TNBS group, intraperitoneal 40 mg/kg L-NAME group, 1 mg/kg olive oil group, 5 and 10 mg/kg lycopene groups. Each experimental group was divided into 3 subgroups according to duration of treatment. On the very first day of treatment number of erythrocytes decreased in all groups except TNBS treated group whereas leukocyte numbers increased in all groups except TNBS treated group pointing out an inflammation. The number of platelets decreased in all study groups with the exception of TNBS group. On the second day, while erythrocyte and platelet numbers increased in all but not in TNBS group, leukocytes decreased in all the groups. On the third day, erythrocyte and platelet numbers increased in all groups except for the 10 mg/kg lycopene group. While the number of leukocytes decreased in the 10 mg/kg lycopene group, it remained the same in the other groups as those observed on the second day. These results show that lycopene could have effects on hemopoiesis as well as in prevention of anemia in IBD.
Key words: TNBS, colitis, lycopene, hematoprotectivity
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