title: Banhabaekchulchunma-tang, a traditional herbal formula attenuates absolute ethanol-induced gastric injury by enhancing the antioxidant status.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Banhabaekchulchunma-tang (hange-byakujutsu-tenma-to in Japanese and banxia-baizhu-tianma-tang in Chinese) is a mixture of fourteen herbs. It is used traditionally for the treatment of anemia, anorexia, general weakness, and female infertility in China, Japan, and Korea. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of a Banhabaekchulchunma-tang water extract (BCT) against ethanol-induced acute gastric injury in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gastric injury was induced by intragastric administration of 5 mL/kg body weight of absolute ethanol to each rat. The positive control group and the BCT group were given oral doses of omeprazole (50 mg/kg) or BCT (400 mg/kg), respectively, 2 h prior to the administration of absolute ethanol. The stomach of each animal was excised and examined for gastric mucosal lesions. To confirm the protective effects of BCT, we evaluated the degree of lipid peroxidation, the level of reduced glutathione (GSH), and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the stomach. In addition, we conducted an acute toxicity study to evaluate the safety of BCT according to OECD guideline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BCT reduced ethanol-induced hemorrhage, hyperemia, and loss of epithelial cell in the gastric mucosa. BCT reduced the increased lipid peroxidation associated with ethanol-induced acute gastric lesions, and increased the mucosal GSH content and the activities of antioxidant enzymes. In addition, BCT did not cause any adverse effects at up to 5000 mg/kg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that BCT protects the gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced gastric injury by increasing the antioxidant status. We suggest that BCT could be developed as an effective drug for the treatment of gastric injury caused by alcohol intake.
authors.forename: In-Sik
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Woo-Young
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Hyeun-Kyoo
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Sin-Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Mee-Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C481352:banhabackchulchunmatang; D000431:Ethanol; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D005978:Glutathione; D009853:Omeprazole