Abstract

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease in the large intestine that affects the epithelium by producing ulcers. Like many autoimmune diseases, ulcerative colitis is triggered by various factors and pathways that are still being researched. The mechanism of the TNF-α pathway was studied during the development of monoclonal antibodies as treatments for ulcerative colitis in the past. Simarouba Glauca (Paradise Tree) is native to tropical areas like Florida. To be able to use the bark as a tonic, a decoction is taken and consumed by patients to treat hemorrhages, fevers, colitis, and malaria. The purpose of this project is to use simarouba glauca as an alternative treatment in reducing the inflammation in inflamed colon cells. Different concentrations of current treatments available to patients and the simarouba glauca decoction were tested on colorectal cancer cells. The results shown were obtained by a MTT cell viability assay. The absorbance was lower for the wells treated with 250 g/ml and 125 mg/ml of simarouba glauca than the wells with no treatment showing that the treatment reduced cancer cell viability. The results were then analyzed using an ANOVA and there was a significant correlation at the 95% confidence interval between the simarouba glauca treatment and the concentration of colorectal cancer cells in the flask. This means that simarouba glauca can be used as an alternative treatment for ulcerative colitis and other diseases caused by the TNF-ɑ pathway which would minimize the dangerous side effects from the current monoclonal antibody treatments.