title: Alpha-boswellic acid protects against ethanol-induced gastric injury in rats: involvement of nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 pathway.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the gastroprotective properties of alpha-boswellic acid (α-BA), a pentacyclic triterpene compound from extracts of Frankincense.
  
  
  METHODS
  The gastroprotection of α-BA was assessed with ethanol-induced gastric lesions model, by histopathological assessment and measuring gastric juice acidity (pH), gastric wall mucus (GWM), prostaglandins E2 (PGE-2), membrane lipids peroxidation (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and amount of nitric oxide (NO). The gastroprotective effects of α-BA through the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) anti-oxidative pathway were presented and measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that α-BA reduced injuries associated with the administration of ethanol, gastric juice acidity and the formation of MDA and increased CAT activity and SOD activity and the level of NO and PGE-2 in a dose-depended manner. The expression of both Nrf2 and HO-1 was significantly increased in the group treated with 200 mg/kg α-BA, which suggested that activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway might be critical in α-BA's prevention of gastric ulcers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate that α-BA decreases oxidative stress and that the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway might play a role in the gastroprotective action of α-BA in ethanol-induced gastric injury in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.|Department of Pharmacy, Chinese PLA Shenyang General Hospital, Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Yikai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yongzheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Peijin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Tianlong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Chinese PLA Shenyang General Hospital, Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Guangfei
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, No. 313 Hospital of Chinese PLA, Huludao, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Mingming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Zhihui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yuwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Aidong
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D019610:Cytoprotection; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; C495637:Nfe2l2 protein, rat; D014315:Triterpenes; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000431:Ethanol; C054625:boswellic acid; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); C491523:Hmox1 protein, rat; D015232:Dinoprostone
keywords: antioxidants; gastroprotection; stomach ulcer; α-boswellic acid