Ancient Mediterranean Berry Shows Promise in Fighting Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Study Finds ^ | June 04, 2025 | Soumaya Wahabi, University of Jendouba

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Strawberry tree extracts helped treat ulcerative colitis in rats. (HJBC/Shutterstock)

In a nutshell

A traditional Mediterranean plant, the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), showed strong protective effects against ulcerative colitis in rats, performing nearly as well as a common prescription drug.

The extract worked by reducing inflammation, preventing tissue damage, and restoring antioxidant enzyme levels, suggesting multiple mechanisms of action.

While promising, these findings are from animal studies, and more research is needed before the extract can be considered a safe or effective treatment for humans.

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JENDOUBA, Tunisia — A humble fruit from the Mediterranean region might hold the key to treating one of the most painful and debilitating digestive disorders affecting millions worldwide. Strawberry trees have been used in traditional medicine for centuries, and recent research on rats shows their health benefits might be useful for modern treatments.

A recent study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture has revealed that certain extracts from the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) demonstrated protective effects against ulcerative colitis in laboratory rats. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition that causes abdominal pain, weight loss, and nausea, as well as mucosal integrity loss and infiltration of inflammatory cells.

Ulcerative colitis belongs to a group of conditions called inflammatory bowel diseases, which affect the digestive system by causing chronic inflammation. As a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease, it specifically targets the colon and rectum, causing symptoms that can severely impact a person’s quality of life. The specific cause of ulcerative colitis is still unknown, though it appears that a mix of environmental and genetic factors are responsible for the illness.

This Mediterranean herb has been used to treat kidney illnesses, urological problems, cardiovascular disorders, and skin conditions, and also has antidiabetic and diuretic properties. Now, this folk remedy might actually work for inflammatory bowel conditions.

Researchers from the University of Jendouba in Tunisia tested different doses of strawberry tree fruit extract on rats with experimentally induced ulcerative colitis. They found that animals pretreated with the extract showed dramatically reduced inflammation, less tissue damage, and better preservation of the colon’s protective lining compared to untreated animals.

Rats given the highest dose of the extract showed an 80% protection rate against colitis damage. This was nearly as effective as sulfasalazine, a conventional drug commonly prescribed to treat ulcerative colitis in humans, which showed a 75% protection rate in the same study.

Researchers divided 30 adult male rats into six groups of five animals each. One group served as a healthy control, while another received only the chemical that induces colitis. Four additional groups were pretreated with either different doses of the strawberry tree extract or sulfasalazine for seven days before being given the colitis-inducing chemical.

The scientists used acetic acid to trigger inflammation in the rats’ colons, a well-established method that creates several clinical, biochemical, and histological characteristics in common with human ulcerative colitis. This method mainly affects the mucosa of the colon, making it a good model for studying potential treatments.

Rats treated with the strawberry tree extract showed significantly less colon damage, reduced inflammation markers, and better preservation of the intestinal lining. The extract also appeared to work through several mechanisms simultaneously.

The extract reduced oxidative stress, which is cellular damage caused by harmful molecules. The study found that acetic acid caused serious damage to colon cells, but giving the strawberry tree extract ahead of time helped protect those cells, especially at higher doses.

The extract also helped bring back the body’s natural defenses in the colon. The chemical used to cause colitis had lowered important protective enzymes, but the extract prevented this drop, also particularly at higher doses.

Blood tests showed that the treated animals had much lower signs of inflammation. In rats with colitis, certain markers in the blood went up, but the extract helped bring those levels back down.

The researchers believe the fruit’s protective effects come from its high levels of natural plant compounds. Past studies have shown that strawberry tree fruits and leaves are packed with health-boosting ingredients like antioxidants and other beneficial chemicals.

According to study authors, current treatments for ulcerative colitis often come with adverse effects such as a high risk of relapse, peptic ulcers, diarrhea, vomiting, and Cushing’s syndrome.

Natural alternatives that could complement existing therapies would be welcomed by both patients and healthcare providers. The strawberry tree fruits are already consumed as food in Mediterranean countries, though the concentrated extracts used in this study would need extensive safety testing before being considered for human use.

The extract also helped restore normal calcium and iron levels in the blood, which become elevated during inflammatory episodes. When compared to the control group, acetic acid threw off normal levels of calcium and iron in the blood. But both the extract and the standard drug helped bring these levels back to normal.

It’s important to consider that this research was conducted in laboratory rats, not humans. Animal studies often show encouraging results that don’t translate directly to human treatments. However, the fact that the strawberry tree extract worked almost as well as an established human medication suggests the findings might have real clinical potential.

This research offers hope for people living with ulcerative colitis worldwide. It could potentially lead to new treatment approaches that could provide benefits without some of the harsh side effects of conventional medications.

Paper Summary

Methodology

Researchers used 30 adult male Wistar rats weighing 220 ± 20 grams, divided into six groups of five animals each. The strawberry tree fruits were collected from Beja, Tunisia in October and November 2023, dried at 40°C for 5 days, then ground into powder and made into a water-based extract using heated distilled water. For seven days, different groups received either various doses of the extract (75, 150, or 300 mg per kg of body weight), sulfasalazine (100 mg per kg), or water by oral gavage. On day seven, all animals except the control group had ulcerative colitis induced by rectal infusion of 3% acetic acid. After 24 hours, the animals were euthanized and their colons were analyzed for macroscopic damage, histological changes, inflammation markers, and antioxidant levels.

Results

The strawberry tree extract provided dose-dependent protection against colitis, with the 75 mg dose showing 15% protection, 150 mg showing 35% protection, and 300 mg showing 80% protection compared to 75% for sulfasalazine. Treated animals had significantly reduced colon weight-to-length ratios, lower inflammation markers like C-reactive protein, and better preservation of protective antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. The extract also helped maintain normal levels of thiol groups and reduced malondialdehyde levels, indicating less oxidative stress.

Limitations

This study was conducted only in male laboratory rats over a short time period (24 hours after colitis induction), so the results may not apply to females, humans, or long-term treatment scenarios. The researchers used a chemically-induced model of colitis that may not perfectly represent all aspects of human ulcerative colitis. The study did not investigate the optimal dosing, safety profile, potential side effects, or long-term effects that would be necessary for human application.

Funding and Disclosures

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The work was supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The study protocol was authorized by the ‘Comité d’Ethique Bio-médicale (CEBM)’ of the Pasteur Institute of Tunis and conducted in accordance with NIH guidelines and local ethics council requirements.

Publication Information

This research, “Protective Effects of Arbutus unedo Extract on Acetic Acid-Induced Colitis in Rats: Histological, Biochemical, and Antioxidant Assessments,” was published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture in 2025. It is authored by Soumaya Wahabi and colleagues from the University of Jendouba, Tunisia and Nefza Hospital, Tunisia.

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