Preventive Effects of Chinese Herb Chai-Hu-Gui-Zhi-Tang Extract on Water Immersion Restraint Stress-Induced Acute Gastric Ulceration in Rats

Abstract

ABSTRACT. It is well known that maintenance therapy using Chai-hu-gui-zhi-tang (CHGZT), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been proven to prevent the recurrence of peptic ulcers. However, little is known as to whether or not it has protective effects against acute gastric injury. In the present study, we investigated the preventive effects of pretreatment with CHGZT extract on the development of water immersion restraint stress-induced acute gastric ulceration in male Wistar rats. The CHGZT extract (50, 250, 500 mg/kg b.w., p.o.) was given to rats before they were exposed to 2 or 4 hr of water immersion restraint stress; they were then were sacrificed immediately after stress exposure. Gastric mucosal lesions were evaluated macroscopically, and the gastric mucosal and hepatic non-protein sulfhydryls (NP-SH) were measured simultaneously. The results indicate that exposure to water immersion restraint stress resulted in the development of acute gastric stress erosions. Pretreatment with CHGZT extract caused a significant reduction of stress lesions and an increase in the gastric mucosal NP-SH and hepatic NP-SH concentrations. We conclude that the anti-ulcer response and extensive antioxidant effect of Chai-hu-gui-zhi-tang may be valuable in prevention of experimental gastric mucosal lesions in rats because it possesses preventive and gastroprotective effects.KEY WORDS: antioxidant effect, Chai-hu-gui-zhi-tang (CHGZT), gastric ulcer, non-protein sulfhydryls, water immersion restraint stress.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 72(6): 679-685, 2010 Chai-hu-gui-zhi-tang (CHGZT), a traditional Chinese herbal prescription, is a mixture of nine herbs, Bupleuri radix, Scutellariae radix, Ginseng radix, Cinnamomi ramulus, Paeoniae radix, Zingiberis rhizome, Pinelliae tuber, Glycyrrhizae radix and Zizyphi fructus, has shown a good antioxidant effect and has been used to prevent the formation of nervous lesions, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and developmental defects of neurons during pregnancy and after birth [12,25]. In traditional Chinese medicine, CHGZT has been used in therapies for gastric ulcers and gastritis, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Among the herbal drugs contained in GHGZT, Scutellariae radix [6] and Panax ginseng [11] have been used extensively, and their clinical efficacies have been documented in regard to anti-ulcer activity. The flavonoids of Scutellariae radix have been found to be free radical scavengers [3]; free radicals play an important role in ulcerative and erosive lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. Glycyrrhizae radix water extract and its two major constituents, glycyrrhizin and 3-glycyrrhetinic monodesmoside, may be promising for amelioration of hypoxia (ischemia)-reoxygenation (reperfusion) injury and improvement of renal function by acting as antioxidant and oxygen radicalscavenging agents [32].It is well known that stress plays a major role as a risk factor in the occurrence of stomach erosion and ulcers [22].Water immersion restraint stress (WIRS) mimics the clinical a...

Pure tocotrienol concentrate protected rat gastric mucosa from acute stress-induced injury by a non-antioxidant mechanism

“…Among various animal models of stress, water-immersion restraint stress (WIRS) has been widely accepted for studying SIGMI. Previous studies demonstrated the immediate appearance of multiple gastric lesions in the gastric mucosa in rats subjected to WIRS for 3.5 hours [5][6][7][8], confirming the reproducibility of this model.…”

“…The WIRS method of inducing gastric lesions was first described by Takagi and Okabe (1968) [24]. Following that, the WIRS method was used widely by investigators to demonstrate the appearance of multiple gastric lesions in the gastric mucosa in rats, confirming its reproducibility [7,[25][26][27]. Hence, it remains relevant as a reliable model for use in studies related to SIGMI.…”

Gastroprotective Effects of Paeonia Extract Mixture HT074 against Experimental Gastric Ulcers in Rats

“…Physical and psychological stresses can play a major risk factor for the occurrence of gastric ulcerations [36–38]. The WIRS model has been reported to mimic the clinical acute gastric ulcers due to trauma, surgery, or sepsis.…”

“…The WIRS model has been reported to mimic the clinical acute gastric ulcers due to trauma, surgery, or sepsis. It has been widely used in stress-induced gastric ulcer studies [36, 38, 39]. Water-immersion and restraint stress reduces the synthesis of PGE 2 in gastric mucosa and induces the production of reactive oxygen species [40, 41].…”

Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia ficus indicavar.saboten) Protects Against Stress-Induced Acute Gastric Lesions in Rats

“…Water immersion restraint stress (WIRS) is widely accepted for studying stress ulcers and can also mimic the clinical acute gastric ulcerations caused by trauma, surgery, or sepsis. 9 It has been reported that oxidative stress generated by infiltrated neutrophils and the xanthinexanthine oxidase system and its subsequent lipid peroxidation is involved in the development of gastric mucosal lesions induced by WIRS. 10 WIRS is also known to provoke acute inflammation in gastric mucosa.…”