Saikokeishito extract prevents progression of acute gastric mucosal lesions induced by compound 48/80, a mast cell degranulator, in rats

We examined the preventive effect of Saikokeishito extract (TJ-10), a traditional Kampo medicine, on acute gastric mucosal lesion progression in rats treated once with compound 48/80 (C48/80), a mast cell degranulator. Rats treated with C48/80 (0.75 mg/kg, i.p.) received TJ-10 (0.13, 0.65 or 1.3 g/kg, 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 myeloperoxdiase (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 myeloperoxdiase 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-10 attenuated all these changes found at 3 h after C48/80 treatment dose-dependently. However, Post-administered TJ-10 had no effect on the changes in serum serotonin and histamine concentrations and gastric mucosal blood flow following mast cell degranulation caused by C48/80 treatment. TJ-10 inhibited in vitro gastric mucosal myeloperoxidase activity but had little effect on in vitro gastric mucosal xanthine oxidase activity. These results indicate that TJ-10 prevents the progression of C48/80-induced acute gastric mucosal lesions in rats possibly by attenuating enhanced neutrophil infiltration and oxidative damage and destruction of the defensive barrier in the gastric mucosa.