Plant-derived steroidal and triterpenoid compounds in inflammatory bowel disease and chronic diarrhoea: Mechanisms and therapeutic potential.

Authors

Prashant Bhagwat, Kalyani Barve

Published in

Steroids. Pages 109860. Oct 30, 2026. Epub Oct 30, 2026.

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is a chronic and relapsing disorder of the digestive system. While corticosteroids are very effective in inducing remission, prolonged treatment is problematic due to adverse effects and drug interactions. Many plant-derived bioactive compounds originate from medicinal plants that have been traditionally used in ethnopharmacological systems for the management of gastrointestinal and inflammatory disorders, supporting their relevance in inflammatory bowel disease. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of preclinical data demonstrating the beneficial effects of phytosterols, steroidal sapogenins, and pentacyclic triterpenoids in IBD models. Earlier reviews have largely focused on diverse phytochemical classes, while the therapeutic potential of selected plant-derived compounds in IBD remains insufficiently characterized. An exhaustive literature search was performed using electronic databases to identify research articles on steroidal and triterpenoid compounds derived from plants for their efficacy in IBD models. These compounds have been reported to attenuate intestinal inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB signalling, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17), reducing oxidative stress, restoring epithelial integrity, modulating immune cell responses, and regulating gut microbiota composition in DSS- and TNBS-induced colitis models. However, these effects vary among compounds and experimental models, and mechanistic similarities to corticosteroids, improved intestinal targeting, and reduced adverse effects have not yet been established. Despite encouraging preclinical findings, limited clinical evidence and insufficient data on dose standardization, pharmacokinetics, long-term safety, and potential drug interactions remain major barriers to clinical translation.

PMID:
42962873
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 31 Oct 2026.

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