title: Gastroprotective effect of alpha-pinene and its correlation with antiulcerogenic activity of essential oils obtained from Hyptis species.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alpha-pinene (α-pinene) is a monoterpene commonly found in essential oils with gastroprotective activity obtained from diverse medicinal plants, including Hyptis species. The genus Hyptis (lamiaceae) consists of almost 400 species widespread in tropical and temperate regions of America. In the north and northeastern Brazil, some Hyptis species are used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal disturbances.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study has investigated the gastoprotective effect of purified α-pinene in experimental gastric ulcer induced by ethanol and indomethacin in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gastric ulcers were induced in male Swiss mice (20-30 g) by oral administration of absolute ethanol or indomethacin 45 min after oral pretreatment with vehicle, standard control drugs or α-pinene (10, 30, and 100 mg/kg). One hour after the ulcerative challenges, the stomach were removed, and gastric lesions areas measured. The effects of α-pinene on the gastric juice acidity were determined by pylorus ligation model. The gastrointestinal motility and mucus depletion were determined by measuring the gastric levels of phenol red and alcian blue, respectively. Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections of gastric mucosa of the experimental groups were used for histology analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  α-pinene pretreatment inhibited ethanol-induced gastric lesions, reduced volume and acidity of the gastric juice and increased gastric wall mucus (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we showed an interesting correlation between concentration of α-pinene and gastroprotective effect of Hyptis species (P Pearson = 0.98).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data showed that the α-pinene exhibited significant antiulcerogenic activity and a great correlation between concentration of α-pinene and gastroprotective effect of Hyptis species was also observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo de Almeida
authors.initials: Mde A
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Matos
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danielle Mesquita
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Cardoso
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Cavalcante
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisca Sheila Xavier
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Emanuela Maria Araújo
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Oliveira Coelho
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Henrique Pires
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Superior Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Glauber Cruz
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Superior Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pamella Cristina da Costa
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Henrique Leal
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Superior Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andrelina Noronha Coelho
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lúcio Ricardo Leite
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Diniz
keywords: Alpha-pinene; Hyptis; antiulcerogenic; essential oil; gastric ulcer; terpenes