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Gastroprotective effect of palmatine against acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers in rats

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Abstract

Gastric ulcers are one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the gastroprotective activity and possible underlying mechanisms of palmatine against acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Palmatine was administered orally for 7 consecutive days to treat ulcers. The ulcer area, ulcer inhibition rate, histological section, platelet-activating factor (PAF) level in serum, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) level in gastric tissue, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level in the brain and norepinephrine (NE) level in the adrenal glands were analyzed. Histological results showed that the ulcer areas were significantly decreased by both doses of palmatine (10 and 20 mg/kg/day) compared with the model group, and the ulcer inhibition rates were 51.42% and 60.92%, respectively. Palmatine treatment markedly increased the level of PGE2 and decreased PAF, compared with the model group; however, it had no significant effect on 5-HT and NE levels. The results indicated that palmatine may exert a gastroprotective effect against gastric ulcers, and the mechanisms might be associated with the anti-inflammatory status and the protection of gastric mucosa via increasing PGE2 and decreasing PAF rather than neurohumoral regulation through 5-HT and NE. Thus, palmatine is a potential drug for treatment of gastric ulcers.

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Abbreviations

PAF:

Platelet-activating factor

PGE2 :

Prostaglandin E2

5-HT:

5-Hydroxytryptamine

NE:

Norepinephrine

CMC-Na:

Sodium carboxymethylcellulose

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Sop:

Sham-operated group

Mod:

Model group

Omp:

Omeprazole group

Wkl:

Weikangling capsule

LP:

Low-dose palmatine group

HP:

High-dose palmatine group

H&E:

Hematoxylin-eosin

IPP:

Image-Pro Plus

SEM:

Standard error of measurement

ANOVA:

One-way analysis of variance

AA:

Arachidonic acid

PLA2 :

Phospholipase A2

COX-2:

Cyclooxygenase 2

PGES:

Prostaglandin E synthase

HPA:

Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81573565), the College Students Innovation Project for the R&D of Novel Drugs (J1030830) and National Training Programs of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for College Students.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China

      Ling Wang, Xue Wang, Su-Li Zhang, Xiao-Ming Zhu, Yan-Qi Liu, Zi-Jing Song, Wen-Juan Du, Jun Ji, Cheng-Long Cui, Chun-Feng Zhang & Chang-Run Guo

    2. School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210000, China

      Xin He

    3. Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Tang Center of Herbal Medicine Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

      Chun-Feng Zhang, Chong-Zhi Wang & Chun-Su Yuan

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    1. Ling Wang
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    Correspondence to Chun-Feng Zhang or Chang-Run Guo.

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    L. Wang and X. Wang contributed equally to this work.

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    Wang, L., Wang, X., Zhang, SL. et al. Gastroprotective effect of palmatine against acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers in rats. J Nat Med 71, 257–264 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-016-1057-2

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-016-1057-2

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