Preventive effect of Shigyaku-san on progression of acute gastric mucosal lesions induced by compound 48/80, a mast cell degranulator, in rats

The study examined whether Shigyaku-san (Si-Ni-San) extract (TJ-35), a traditional Kampo medicine, prevents acute gastric mucosal lesion progression in rats treated once with compound 48/80 (C48/80). Rats treated with C48/80 (0.75 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) received TJ-35 (0.15, 0.35 or 0.75 g/kg body weight, p.o.) 0.5 h after the treatment at which time gastric mucosal lesions appeared. At 0.5 h after C48/80 treatment, the gastric mucosa of the treated rats had increased myeloperoxidase (an index of neutrophil infiltration) and xanthine oxidase activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (an index of lipid peroxidation) content. At 3 h after C48/80 treatment, the gastric mucosa of the treated rats showed progressive lesions and further increases in myeloperoxidase and xanthine oxidase activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances content and decreases in vitamin E, ascorbic acid and adherent mucus contents and Se-glutathione peroxidase activity. Post-administered TJ-35 attenuated all these changes found at 3 h after C48/80 treatment dose-dependently. These results indicate that TJ-35 prevents the progression of C48/80-induced acute gastric mucosal lesions in rats possibly by attenuating enhanced neutrophil infiltration, enhanced lipid peroxidation associated with decreased vitamin E and ascorbic acid contents and Se-glutathione peroxidase activity, and destruction of the defensive barrier in the gastric mucosa.