Intestinal anti-inflammatory activity of goat milk and goat yoghurt in the acetic acid model of rat colitis

The intestinal anti-inflammatory effect of goat milk and goat yoghurt with addition of Lactobacillus acidophilus, with or without native bee honey, was evaluated in rats with 10% acetic acid-induced colitis. The pre-treatment with goat milk, goat yoghurt or sulfasalazine significantly improved the myeloperoxidase activity, levels of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). It also promoted a significant reduction in oxidative stress that could be seen by the reduction in malondialdehyde and the increase in glutathione. The benefit of the pre-treatments was also demonstrated in the preservation of colonic cytoarchitecture and the decreased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase. These results suggest that goat milk and goat yoghurt exert protective effects similar to those of sulfasalazine on intestinal damage induced by acetic acid and that goat milk and goat yoghurt may act as functional foods in inflammatory bowel disease.