title: Protective effects of a polysaccharide from Hizikia fusiformis against ethanol toxicity in rats.
abstract: Hizikia fusiformis is an edible brown alga that is widely consumed in Korea, Japan, and China and possesses a number of potentially beneficial compounds, including antioxidants and anticoagulants. No reports have investigated potential H. fusiformis protectants against ethanol-induced peptic injury. We extracted a polysaccharide from H. fusiformis (Hf-PS-1) that exhibited protective effects against ethanol-induced peptic injury and related mechanisms in rats. Experimental animals were divided into three groups: control, ethanol-only, and ethanol+Hf-PS-1. The ethanol-only group exhibited decreased levels of total glutathione (GSH) and increased levels of jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation relative to the control group, whereas levels were significantly increased and decreased, respectively, in the ethanol+Hf-PS-1 group. The ethanol-only group also exhibited increased levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2) phosphorylation relative to the control group; these levels were not significantly different in the ethanol+Hf-PS-1 group. Hf-PS-1 appeared to reduce ethanol-induced gastric injury. Therefore, we suggest that Hf-PS-1 could protect against ethanol-induced peptic ulcers primarily through a mechanism associated with the inhibition of JNK activation.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Food Science and Biotechnology, Pukyong National University, 599-1, Daeyeon 3-Dong, Nam-gu, Busan 608-737, Republic of Korea [corrected]
authors.forename: Eun-Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hye-Jeong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: In-Hye
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Taek-Jeong
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Nam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D000459:Phaeophyceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D000431:Ethanol