Effects of antioxidant herbs on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in a rat-pica model.
Nausea and vomiting are significant adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents like cisplatin, and cause significant patient morbidity. Cisplatin treatment results in oxidant gut injury, which is postulated to be the primary cause of nausea and vomiting. We evaluated the effects of two antioxidant herbs, Scutellaria baicalensis and American ginseng berry, on cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting using a rat model. Rats react to emetic or nausea-producing stimuli, such as cisplatin, with altered feeding habits, manifested by increased kaolin consumption (pica). We measured pica in rats to quantify cisplatin-induced nausea. We observed that pretreatment of rats with S. baicalensis or ginseng berry extracts resulted in a significant reduction in cisplatin-induced pica. The in vitro free radical scavenging ability of the herbal extract observed in the study, further confirmed the antioxidant action of the herb. We conclude that herbal antioxidants may have a role in attenuating cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting.
Mehendale
Sangeeta R
SR
Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, and Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Aung
Han H
HH
Yin
Jun-Jie
JJ
Lin
Elaine
E
Fishbein
Anna
A
Wang
Chong-Zhi
CZ
Xie
Jing-Tian
JT
Yuan
Chun-Su
CS
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000633:toxicity; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005894:Panax; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010842:Pica / Q000139:chemically induced*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D031363:Scutellaria; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002945:Cisplatin