Silva, InêsCorreia, RitaPinto, RuiMateus, Vanessa2022-08-292022-08-292022-08Silva I, Correia R, Pinto R, Mateus V. Hemin ameliorates the inflammatory activity in the inflammatory bowel disease: a non-clinical study in rodents. Biomedicines. 2022;10(8):2025.http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/14942FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, there is no cure, and pharmacological treatment aims to induce and maintain remission in patients, so it is essential to investigate new possible treatments. Hemin is a heme-oxygenase inducer that can confer anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and antiapoptotic effects; therefore, it can be considered an asset for different gastrointestinal pathologies, namely for IBD. Aim: This experiment aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hemin, in a chronic 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis model in rodents. Methods: The induction of chronic colitis consisted of five weekly intrarectal administrations of 1% TNBS. Then, the mice were treated daily with 5 mg/kg/day or 10 mg/kg/day of hemin, through intraperitoneal injections, for 14 days. Results: Hemin demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect through the reduction in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels, fecal calprotectin, and fecal hemoglobin. It was also found to be safe in terms of extraintestinal manifestations since hemin did not promote renal and/or hepatic changes. Conclusions: Hemin could become an interesting tool for new possible pharmacological approaches in the management of IBD.engTNBS-induced colitisAnti-inflammatory effectExperimental colitisHeme-oxygenase inducerHeminInflammatory bowel diseaseFCT_UIDB/05608/2020FCT_UIDP/05608/2020journal article10.3390/biomedicines10082025