Abstract
Pharmacological relevance:
Artemisia argyi, a kind of ethnic drug, has a long-term use on gastric diseases and syndromes.
Aim of the study:
The aim of the study is to validate the traditional uses of A. argyi scientifically and to discover more efficient nature derived gastro-protective ethnomedicine and further elucidate the possible mechanisms.
Materials and methods:
Sixty rats were randomly divided into control, model (ethanol-induced), reference (omeprazole-treated) and A. argyi extract (AT) (0.3, 0.1, 0.033g/mL) treated groups, respectively. The levels of biochemical indexes in tissues and serum and the activities of pepsin in gastric contents were measured after the sacrifice of rats. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells of the isolated compounds were determined.
Results:
The studies indicated that A. argyi extract could exert strong protective effects on gastric mucosa in ethanol-induced rat model by regulating the levels of inflammatory factors, superoxide dismutase, and malonaldehyde, which were superior to those of positive control at 0.3g/mL. The isolated flavonoids could down-regulate the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and eliminate free radicals in the anti-oxidative tests. The effects of eupatilin and jaceosidin, which were substituted by additional methoxy groups, were predominant, indicting the importance of methoxy to the activities.
Conclusion:
The results confirmed that A. argyi can protect ethanol-induced rats from gastric mucosal injury through inhibiting inflammatory responses and ameliorating oxidative stress. A. argyi is suitable for people with gastric mucosal injuries or unhealthy dietary habits as a necessary dietary supplement, which will promote the planting and application of A. argyi in both agriculture and food industry.
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