Effect of D-002 on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats at single and repeated doses.

D-002 is a natural mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols purified from beeswax, with mild anti-inflammatory and effective antiulcer effects experimentally proved. Furthermore, it reduces leukotriene (LTB(4)) in the exudate of carrageenan-induced pleurisy and has a protective effect on the pre-ulcerative phase of carrageenan-induced colonic ulceration in the guinea pig. This study was conducted to determine the effect of D-002 on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats at single and repeated doses. In a first series, D-002 was orally administered at 25 and 50 mg kg(-1), 24 h before the induction of colitis, meanwhile, in a second series, it was administered 24 h after the induction of colitis. Two other series (III and IV) examined the protective and therapeutic effect of D-002 administered for 7 days at the same doses, before or after colitis induction. Significant reductions in wet weight, macroscopic injury, polymorphonuclear infiltration and wall thickness were observed in colonic mucosa of D-002-treated animals compared with controls in both protective and therapeutic alternatives. It is concluded that D-002 was effective to protect or prevent the damage associated to acetic acid-induced colitis. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.