Meta-analysis reveals luteolin's therapeutic effects in ulcerative colitis models, suggesting multiple mechanisms may drive its actions.
Background Evidence suggests that luteolin (LUT) may offer therapeutic potential in treating ulcerative colitis (UC), though its specific pharmacological mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This meta-analysis aims to assess the pharmacological effects of LUT in UC animal models and investigate its potential mechanisms of action. Methods A comprehensive search of five databases, namely, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect, was conducted to identify studies investigating the effects of LUT on UC. The search, covering data up to March 2025, yielded 19 eligible studies involving a total of 327 animal subjects. The outcomes were analyzed using the standard mean difference with a 95% confidence interval in R (4.3.3) software. Results The meta-analysis revealed that LUT significantly ameliorated colon length, reduced the disease activity index, alleviated body weight loss, and decreased histological scores. Further mechanistic analysis indicated that LUT exerts its effects through multiple mechanisms, including the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, elevation of anti-inflammatory cytokines, promotion of tight junction protein expression, and improvement of oxidative stress-related indices. However, LUT appears to have no significant impact on the α-diversity of the intestinal microbiota. Conclusion This study suggests that LUT may exert significant therapeutic effects in UC animal models through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and barrier-protective mechanisms. Further clinical studies and translational research are essential to bridge the gap between animal models and human applications. Systematic Review Registration https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2025-5-0055/ , identifier INPLASY202550055.
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Feng et al. (2025) studied this question.