Effect of Lonicerae Flos extracts on reflux esophagitis with antioxidant activity.
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effects of traditional antiinflammatory medicine Lonicerae Flos (LF) on rat reflux esophagitis (RE) induced by pylorus and forestomach ligation compared with the well-known proton antioxidant, alpha-tocopherol.


METHODS
Rats were pretreated with three different dosages of LF (500, 250 and 125 mg/kg) orally, once a day for 14 d before pylorus and forestomach ligation. Nine hours after pylorus and forestomach ligation, changes to the stomach and esophagus lesion areas, gastric volumes, acid and pepsin outputs, antioxidant effects, esophageal lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase and glutathione (GSH) levels, and collagen contents (marker of flexibility) were observed on the esophageal and fundic histopathology. The results were compared with an alpha-tocopherol (once orally, 1 h before operation, 30 mg/kg) treated group in which the effects on RE were already confirmed.


RESULTS
Pylorus and forestomach ligations caused marked increases of gross esophageal and gastric mucosa lesion areas, which corresponded with histopathological changes. In addition, increases of esophageal lipid peroxidation, decreases of SOD, CAT, and GSH-free radical scavengers, increases of collagen were observed. However, these pylorus and forestomach ligation induced RE were dose-dependently inhibited by treatment of 500, 250 and 125 mg/kg of LF extract, mediated by antioxidant effects. RE at 250 mg/kg showed similar effects alpha-tocopherol.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that antioxidant effects of LF could attenuate the severity of RE and prevent the esophageal mucosal damage, and validate its therapeutic use in esophageal reflux disease.
Ku
Sae-Kwang
SK
Department of Histology and Anatomy, College of Oriental Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Gyeongsan, South Korea.
Seo
Bu-Il
BI
Park
Ji-Ha
JH
Park
Gyu-Yeol
GY
Seo
Young-Bae
YB
Kim
Jae-Soo
JS
Lee
Hyeung-Sik
HS
Roh
Seong-Soo
SS
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000378:metabolism; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D031239:Lonicera / Q000378:metabolism*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011708:Pylorus / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000378:metabolism
D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010936:Plant Extracts; D005978:Glutathione; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol