Investigation of the Mechanisms Underlying the Gastroprotective Effect of Cymbopogon Citratus Essential Oil

Abstract

Cymbopogon citratus is a medicinal plant popularly used in Brazil for the treatment of various diseases, and the research interest in this plant is justifiable because of its potential medicinal value in stomachache and gastric ulcer. This study was aimed to test the validity of this practice by using experimental models of gastric ulcer and to clarify the mechanisms of gastroprotection by C. citratus leaves essential oil (EOCC). EOCC was evaluated for the ability to protect the gastric mucosa against injuries caused by necrotizing agents (absolute ethanol and aspirin) in rodents. The results of this study revealed that EOCC posses a dose-independent anti-ulcer effect against the different experimental models. EOCC pretreatment depicted a higher preventive index in ethanol-(88%) and aspirin-induced (76%) acute ulceration. On pretreatment of mice with indomethacin, the cyclooxygenase inhibitor slightly suppressed the gastroprotective effect of EOCC (48.5%). Furthermore, EOCC gastroprotection was not attenuated in mice pretreated with L-NAME (85.2%), glibenclamide (100%), or yohimbine (79.7%), the respective inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase, K+ATP channel activation, and α2 receptors. These results confirmed the traditional use of C. citratus for the treatment of gastric ulcer. Thus, we provide the first evidence that EOCC reduces gastric damage induced by ethanol, at least in part, by mechanisms that involve endogenous prostaglandins.

Essential Oil of Cymbopogon Citratus Against Diabetes: Validation by In vivo Experiments and Computational Studies

“…Increased generation of free radicals by PX-407 induction to rats reduces the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, GST and SOD as observed in DC group rats. The CCEO treatment presented a significant normalizing effect on these antioxidant enzymes in accordance with earlier findings [32].…”

Protective Activity of Chitosan Nanoparticle against Cadmium Chloride Induced Gastric Toxicity in Rat

“…The antioxidant protective mechanism decreases the ROS and scavenges the free radical responsible for the gastric damage and thus inhibit the lipid peroxidation as measured by MDA levels. 3 The findings of this study suggest that chitosan nanoparticle could attenuate oxidative stress by decreasing the lipid peroxidation (MDA level) in the cadmium-treated gastric. A similar result has shown that vitamin C and vitamin E enhanced the antioxidant status and inhibited lipid peroxidation in rats with cadmium chloride toxicity.…”

“…2,6 Histopathological examination The tissue of gastric was fixed in a 10% neutral buffered formalin solution, embedded in paraffin and used for histopathological examination with hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) stain. 3…”

“…Recently study shown the reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals such as superoxide ion (O 2 -), hydroxyl radical (OH -) and nitrogen oxide (NO) have a pivotal role in cadmium-induced gastric toxicity. 1,3 MDA may be used as an indicator of cell membrane damage after exposure to reactive oxygen species and free radicals. The increase in MDA levels in gastric suggests that antioxidant failure to inhibit reactive oxygen species and formation of free radicals so can enhance lipid peroxidation causing gastric toxicity.…”

Avaliação toxicológica do óleo essencial de Cymbopogon citratus (DC) stapf (Capim-Marinho) em camundongos e ratos

“…Têm como sinonímia popular "capim-santo", "capim-limão", "capim-marinho", "capim-cidreira" e "capim-cheiro" 2 . O "capim-santo" tem sido na medicina popular como espasmolítico, analgésico, antiinflamatório, antipirético, diurético, tranquilizante e antimicrobiano 1-3 em doenças ginecológicas e desordens intestinais 4,5 , como diurético, antihemorrágico, carmitativo, excitante digestivo, para males do fígado, no combate a erisipela e tratamento de úlceras crônicas [6][7][8] . O extrato aquoso das folhas de Cymbopogon citratus apresentou atividade hipoglicemiante e hipolipêmica, para as quais se associou a presença de flavonóides e alcalóides 9 .…”