Abstract
As part of the search for new bioactive plants from the Colombian Caribbean, the dichloromethane fraction of the calyces of Physalis angulata L. (PADF) was selected for its anti-inflammatory activity. In this work, we investigated the immunomodulatory effect of PADF in activated macrophages and during dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. PADF displayed a low content of withanolides or phenolic compounds, and a higher content of sucrose esters, representative anti-inflammatory metabolites of the Physalis genus. The PADF fraction at 12.5 μg/mL prevented the induction of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-12, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), while increased the levels of arginase (ARG1), IL-10, and mannose receptor C (MRC1). The polarization towards an anti-inflammatory profile was also observed in resting macrophages, without promoting the typical gene profile induced by IL-4, suggesting that PADF promotes a shift to a regulatory status rather than to an alternative one. In vivo, the administration of PADF to mice with chronic DSS-colitis reduced disease signs (i.e., body weight loss and colon shortening), and improved the histology score by diminishing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing the production of IL-10. Overall, results suggest that the regulatory effect on PADF towards macrophages might contribute to the therapeutic activity observed in the murine model of inflammatory bowel disease.