The significant role of nutraceutical compounds in ulcerative colitis treatment

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mainly affecting the colon and the rectum. Its main characters are represented by relapsing and remitting mucosal inflammation, starting in the rectum and typically extending continuously proximally through part or the entire colon. UC pathogenesis depends on multiple factors, such as genetic predisposition, defects in the epithelial barrier, dysregulated immune responses, and environmental causes. The most frequent symptoms are abdominal pain, weight loss, mucus discharge, bloody diarrhoea, incontinence, nocturnal defecations, fever, and anemia. Existing therapies for UC include 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and its derivatives, steroids, immunosuppressants and biological drugs. However, limited efficacy and unwanted adverse effects hardly limit these strategies of treatment. In the last decades, research studies have been driven towards complementary and alternative medicines for the treatment of UC. Various nutraceuticals have exhibited promising results in modulating intestinal inflammation meanwhile improving symptoms. These compounds possess a wide spectrum of positive health effects evidenced by in vitro studies, characterized by their involvement in antioxidant defenses, cell proliferation, and gene expression. The present review analyzes the available data about the different types of nutraceuticals and their potential effectiveness as adjuvant therapy of IBD, with particular emphasis to UC.