Inflammatory bowel disease is a term for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis which are chronic inflammatory diseases of the digestive system. In Crohn’s disease, inflammation can occur anywhere from the mouth to the anus, whereas in ulcerative colitis, inflammation is limited to the large bowel.

There are a wide range of treatments for IBD, but currently no cure. Most treatments have significant side effects and so there is now a great deal of research into botanical extracts being used to dampen down inflammatory responses.

Xanthohumol (XN), a bioactive flavonoid from Humulus lupulus with anti-inflammatory properties, has potential benefits for patients with Crohn’s disease a type of inflammatory bowel disease. 

A US study completed a few years ago published results of a clinical trial demonstrating the safety and tolerability of 24 mg xanthohumol daily for 8 weeks. 

Once the team confirmed that the dose had no adverse effects, they started another study which aims to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the same dose of xanthohumol adults with clinically active Crohn’s disease. They will also assess the impact of xanthohumol on inflammatory biomarkers, platelet function, Crohn’s disease clinical activity, and stool microbial composition. The metabolism of xanthohumol will also be evaluated and these exciting results are due to be published very soon!

Reference

Langley BO, Ryan JJ, Phipps J, Buttolph L, Bray B, Aslan JE, Metz TO, Stevens JF, Bradley R. Xanthohumol microbiome and signature in adults with Crohn's disease (the XMaS trial): a protocol for a phase II triple-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Trials. 2022 Oct 22;23(1):885.