ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the protective effects of caspase-1 inhibitor VX765 on gastric mucosa of mice with cold-restraint stress-induced acute gastric ulcer.@*Methods@#Twenty-four specific pathogen free male C57BL/6J mice were divided into normal control group (NC), cold restrain group (CR), VX765 pre-treatment+ cold restrain group (VCR), and rabeprazole pre-treatment+ cold restrain group (RCR) according to the random number table, with 6 mice in each group. Mice in group NC were injected intraperitoneally with solution of 10 mL/kg dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Mice in group CR were inflicted with acute gastric ulcer induced by cold-restraint stress 30 minutes after intraperitoneal injection of solution of DMSO and PBS. Mice in groups VCR and RCR were inflicted with acute gastric ulcer as above 30 minutes after intraperitoneal injection of solution of DMSO and PBS with dose of 12.5 μmol/kg containing 10 mg VX765 and 40 mg/kg containing 20 mg rabeprazole, respectively. Four hour after cold-restraint stress, serum content of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6)was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gross condition of gastric tissue was observed. Ulcer index was evaluated. Pathological change of gastric tissue was observed with HE staining. The relative expression of IL-1β, IL-18, and cleaved-caspase-1 in gastric tissue were detected by Western blotting. Mice in group NC were detected as above at the same time point. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni test.@*Results@#The serum content of TNF-α and IL-6 and the relative expression of cleaved-caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 in gastric tissue of mice in group NC were significantly lower than those in group CR (with P values below 0.01). The content of the above-mentioned inflammatory indexes in serum and gastric tissue of mice in group VCR was significantly lower than that in group CR (with P values below 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in content of the above-mentioned inflammatory indexes in serum and gastric tissue of mice between groups RCR and CR (with P values above 0.05). The content of the above-mentioned inflammatory indexes in serum and gastric tissue of mice in group VCR was significantly lower than that in group RCR (with P values below 0.01). Surface of gastric mucosa was smooth and morphology of mucosal cells was normal with clear structure of mice in group NC. Multiple hemorrhage of gastric mucosa, disorderly arrangement of mucosal cells, and large number of inflammatory cell infiltration around necrotic tissue were observed in mice of group CR. Decreased number of gastric mucosa bleeding, intact mucosal structure, and small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration around necrotic tissue were observed in mice of groups VCR and RCR. The ulcer indexes of mice in groups NC, CR, VCR, and RCR were 0, 18.7±1.1, 6.3±1.5, and 8.2±1.3, respectively. The ulcer index of mice in group NC was significantly lower than that in the other 3 groups (with P values below 0.05). The ulcer indexes of mice in groups VCR and RCR were close (P>0.05), which were significantly lower than ulcer index of mice in group CR (with P values below 0.05).@*Conclusions@#VX765 can effectively inhibit the activation of caspase-1, reduce production of inflammatory factor, and alleviate inflammatory response, which have protective effects on gastric mucosa of mice with cold-restraint stress-induced acute gastric ulcer.
ABSTRACT
The antistress effect of a seven-day treatment (100 and 200 mg / kg, p.o.) of the hydroalcoholic extract of Argyreia speciosa root (ASE) was evaluated by using the swimming endurance test, acetic acid–induced writhing test, pentylenetetrazoleinduced convulsion test, anoxic tolerance test, cold-restraint, stress-induced gastric ulcers, aspirin-induced ulcers, and biochemical, and histopathological changes in the cold-restraint stress test. The immunomodulatory activity was also evaluated for the same doses, and treatment of ASE was done using the hemagglutination test. Both the doses of ASE showed antistress activity in all the tested models. The ASE-treated animals showed a decrease in immobility time and an increase in anoxic tolerance time in swimming endurance and the anoxic tolerance tests, respectively. The effect of glacial acetic acid and pentylenetetrazole were also reduced by decreasing the number of writhing responses and increasing the onset of convulsions, respectively. In the cold restrained stress and aspirin-induced gastric ulcer models, ASE showed a significant reduction in the ulcer index. Pretreatment with ASE significantly ameliorated the cold stress-induced variations in biochemical levels such as increased plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, total protein, and cortisol. ASE was also effective in preventing the pathological changes in the adrenal gland, due to cold restrained stress, in rats. In mice immunized with sheep red blood cells, the treatment groups subjected to restraint stress prevented the humoral immune response to the antigen. The immunostimulating activity of the ASE was indicated by an increase in the antibody titer in mice pre-immunized with sheep red blood cells and subjected to restraint stress. The findings of the present investigations indicate that the ASE has significant antistress activity, which may be due to the immunostimulating property and increased resistance, nonspecifically, against all experimental stress conditions.
ABSTRACT
The present study was undertaken to determine the anti-ulcer and antioxidant potential of GutGardTM, a standardized extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra commonly known as licorice. Effect of various doses (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg, po) of GutGardTM was studied on gastric ulcers in pylorus ligation-, cold-restraint stress- and indomethacin induced gastric mucosal injury in rats. Anti-ulcer activity was evaluated by measuring the ulcer index, gastric content, total acidity, and pH of gastric fluid. GutGardTM dose dependently decreased gastric content, total acidity, ulcer index and increased pH of gastric fluid in pylorus ligation ulcer model. In cold-restraint stress- and indomethacin induced ulcer models all the doses of GutGardTM decreased the ulcer index and increased the pH of gastric fluid. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. GutGardTM exhibited potent antioxidant activity with high hydrophilic and lipophilic ORAC value. GutGardTM possessed anti-ulcerogenic properties that might be afforded via cytoprotective mechanism by virtue of its antioxidant properties. These results supported the ethnomedical uses of licorice in the treatment of gastric ulcer.