In vitro and in vivo effects of Centella asiatica on intestinal inflammatory models and identification of its bioactive components

The family Apiaceae (genus Centella) includes approximately 50 species, many of which are used in traditional medicine to treat various inflammatory diseases. Traditionally, Centella asiatica has been widely used as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine. The efficacy of C. asiatica in treating intestinal inflammation remains poorly explored. This study investigated the effects of a hot-water extract of C. asiatica (CA-HE) on inflammation-induced intestinal epithelial cell lines and animal models. CA-HE effectively alleviated IL-1β-induced inflammatory factors and tight junction (TJ) proteins. In a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse model of colitis, oral administration of CA-HE induced no toxicological effects and significantly alleviated major clinical symptoms of colitis. Examination of colon specimens revealed that oral administration of CA-HE significantly prevented DSS-induced inflammatory and TJ-associated factors in mice. Histopathological examination of hematoxylin and eosin- and periodic acid-Schiff/Alcian blue-stained colon sections showed that CA-HE alleviated crypt destruction, submucosal edema, inflammatory infiltration and mucin secretion compared to the DSS group. Oral administration of CA-HE increased the total levels of short-chain fatty acids in the cecum and feces. Finally, UHPLC-MS analysis predicted that CA-HE comprises five phenolic compounds (neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (DCQA), 3,5-DCQA and 4,5-DCQA) and one flavonoid (miquelianin) as key bioactive components. Our results suggest that CA-HE could be an alternative candidate to prevent and treat intestinal inflammation. Furthermore, our findings provide foundational data for the use of CA-HE as a bioactive component. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.