Antioxidative Activity of Flavonoids from Abrus cantoniensis against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Mice

Abstract

The present study investigated the flavonoids from Abrus cantoniensis against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in mice. The flavonoids from A. cantoniensis were extracted with ethanol and purified by macroporous resin and polyamide. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay was used to measure the antioxidative activities in vitro. The ethanol-induced ulcer mouse model was used to evaluate the gastroprotective activities of the flavonoids from A. cantoniensis. In addition, a method was established to ensure accuracy for animal ulcer evaluation. The flavonoids from A. cantoniensis showed a strong free radical scavenging capacity with an IC₅₀ of 43.83 µg/mL in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. At doses between 28.16–112.67 mg/kg, the flavonoids conspicuously reduced the ulcer index in ethanol-induced mice (p < 0.001). Significant differences were found in the levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and myeloperoxidase in the stomach tissues between the flavonoids from the A. cantoniensis groups and the ethanol control group. The gastroprotective effect of the flavonoids from A. cantoniensis could be due to its antioxidative activity of the defensive mechanism. The data revealed that the flavonoids from A. cantoniensis could be a potential therapeutic agent for gastric ulcer prevention and treatment.

Key words

Abrus cantoniensis - Leguminosae - flavonoid - antioxidant - gastroprotection - Image Pro-Plus

^* These two authors contributed equally to this work.

• References

• 1 Ji CX, Fan DS, Li W, Guo L, Liang ZL, Xu RM, Zhang JJ. Evaluation of the anti-ulcerogenic activity of the antidepressants duloxetine, amitriptyline, fluoxetine and mirtazaoine in different models of experimental gastric ulcer in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 2012; 691: 46-51
• 2 Pan JS, He SZ, Xu HZ, Zhan XJ, Yang XN, Xiao HM, Shi HX, Ren JL. Oxidative stress disturbs energy metabolism of mitochondria in ethanol-induced gastric mucosa injury. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14: 5857-5867
• 3 Sowndhararajan K, Kang SC. Protective effect of ethyl acetate fraction of Acacia ferruginea DC. against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2013; 148: 175-181
• 4 Repetto MG, Llesuy SF. Antioxidant properties of natural compounds used in popular medicine for gastric ulcers. Braz J Med Biol Res 2002; 35: 523-534
• 5 Izzettin FV, Sancar M, Okuyan B, Apikoglu-Rabus S, Cevikbas U. Comparison of the protective effects of various antiulcer agents alone or in combination on indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Exp Toxicol Pathol 2012; 64: 339-343
• 6 Mirossay A, Mirossay L, Tothova J, Miskovsky P, Onderkova H, Mojzis J. Potentiation of hypericin and hypocrellin-induced phototoxicity by omeprazole. Phytomedicine 1999; 6: 311-317
• 7 Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission. Pharmacopoeia of the Peopleʼs Republic of China (Part 1). Beijing: China Medical Science Press; 2010: 180-181
• 8 Anam EM. Anti-inflammatory activity of compounds isolated from the aerial parts of Abrus precatorius (Fabaceae). Phytomedicine 2001; 8: 24-27
• 9 Li Y, Xu C, Zhang Q, Liu JY, Tan RX. In vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori action of 30 Chinese herbal medicines used to treat ulcer diseases. J Ethnopharmacol 2005; 98: 329-333
• 10 Huang RS, Yu YX, Hu Y, Sheng XB. Determination of total flavonoids in Abrus cantoniensis and its dynamic changes. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 2006; 31: 1428-1431
• 11 Miyao H, Arao T, Udayama M, Kinjo J, Nohara T. Kaikasaponin III and soyasaponin I, major triterpene saponins of Abrus cantoniensis, act on GOT and GPT: influence on transaminase elevation of rat liver cells concomitantly exposed to CCI4 for one hour. Planta Med 1998; 64: 5-7
• 12 Yang M, Al Zaharna M, Chen YS, Li L, Cheung HY. In vitro antioxidant activities and anti-proliferative properties of the functional herb Abrus cantoniensis and its main alkaloid abrine. Food Funct 2014; 5: 2268-2277
• 13 Balan T, Sani MH, Mumtaz Ahmad SH, Suppaiah V, Mohtarrudin N, Jamaludin F, Zakaria ZA. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities contribute to the prophylactic effect of semi-purified fractions obtained from the crude methanol extract of Muntingia calabura leaves against gastric ulceration in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2015; 164: 1-15
• 14 Xie C, Veitch NC, Houghton PJ, Simmonds MSJ. Flavone C-glycosides from Viola yedoensis MAKINO. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2003; 51: 1204-1207
• 15 Nishizawa H, Yamada H, Miyazaki H, Ohara M, Kaneko K, Yamakawa T, Wiener-Kronish J, Kudoh I. Soluble complement receptor type 1 inhibited the systemic organ injury caused by acid instillation into a lung. Anesthesiology 1996; 85: 1120-1128
• 16 Gobbo-Neto L, Santos MD, Kanashiro A, Almeida MC, Lucisano-Valim YM, Lopes JL, Souza GE, Lopes NP. Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of di-C-glucosylflavones from Lychnophora ericoides (Asteraceae). Planta Med 2005; 71: 3-6
• 17 Verspohl EJ, Fujii H, Homma K, Buchwald-Werner S. Testing of Perilla frutescens extract and Vicenin-2 for their antispasmodic effect. Phytomedicine 2013; 20: 427-431
• 18 De Melo GO, Muzitano MF, Legora-Machado A, Almeida TA, De Oliveira DB, Kaiser CR, Koatz VL, Costa SS. C-glycosyl flavones from the aerial parts of Eleusine indica inhibit LPS-induced mouse lung inflammation. Planta Med 2005; 71: 362-363
• 19 Mishra V, Agrawal M, Onasanwo SA, Madhur G, Rastogi P, Pandey HP, Palit G, Narender T. Anti-secretory and cyto-protective effects of chebulinic acid isolated from the fruits of Terminalia chebula on gastric ulcers. Phytomedicine 2013; 20: 506-511
• 20 Amaral GP, de Carvalho NR, Barcelos RP, Dobrachinski F, Portella Rde L, da Silva MH, Luogokenski TH, Dias GR, da Luz SC, Boligon AA, Athayde ML, Villetti MA, Antunes Soares FA, Fachinetto R. Protective action of ethanolic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L. in gastric ulcer prevention induced by ethanol in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2013; 55: 48-55
• 21 Sowndhararajan K, Kang SC. Protective effect of ethyl acetate fraction of Acacia ferruginea DC. against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2013; 148: 175-181
• 22 Durackova Z. Some current insights into oxidative stress. Physiol Res 2010; 59: 459-469
• 23 Mei X, Xu D, Xu S, Zheng Y, Xu S. Novel role of Zn(II)-curcumin in enhancing cell proliferation and adjusting proinflammatory cytokine-mediated oxidative damage of ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcers. Chem Biol Interact 2012; 197: 31-39
• 24 Kwiecien S, Brzozowski T, Konturek SJ. Effects of reactive oxygen species action on gastric mucosa in various models of mucosal injury. J Physiol Pharmacol 2002; 53: 39-50
• 25 Reuter S, Gupta SC, Chaturvedi MM, Aggarwal BB. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer: how are they linked?. Free Radic Biol Med 2010; 49: 1603-1616
• 26 Li WF, Huang HM, Niu XF, Fan T, Mu QL, Li HN. Protective effect of tetrahydrocoptisine against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in mice. Toxicol Appl Pharm 2013; 272: 21-29
• 27 Mullane KM, Kraemer R, Smith B. Myeloperoxidase activity as a quantitative assessment of neutrophil infiltration into ischemic myocardium. J Pharmacol Methods 1985; 14: 157-167
• 28 Szelenyi I, Thiemer K. Distention ulcer as a model for testing of drugs for ulcerogenic side effects. Arch Toxicol 1978; 41: 99-105
• 29 Rawlinson A, Elcock C, Cheung A, Al-Buhairi A, Khanna S, Walsh TF, Ellwood RP. An in-vitro and in-vivo methodology study of alveolar bone measurement using extra-oral radiographic alignment apparatus, Image Pro-Plus software and a subtraction programme. J Dent 2005; 33: 781-788
• 30 Blatt RJ, Clark AN, Courtney J, Tully C, Tucker AL. Automated quantitative analysis of angiogenesis in the rat aorta model using Image-Pro Plus 4.1. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2004; 75: 75-79
• 31 Zhang SL, Li H, He X, Zhang RQ, Sun YH, Zhang CF, Wang CZ, Yuan CS. Alkaloids from Mahonia bealei posses anti-H+/K+-ATPase and anti-gastrin effects on pyloric ligation-induced gastric ulcer in rats. Phytomedicine 2014; 21: 1356-1363
• 32 Wang CJ, Zhou ZG, Holmqvist A, Zhang H, Li Y, Adell G, Sun XF. Survivin expression quantified by Image Pro-Plus compared with visual assessment. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol 2009; 17: 530-535
• 33 Li Y, Wang WP, Wang HY, Cho CH. Intragastric administration of heparin enhances gastric ulcer healing through a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 2000; 399: 205-214
• 34 Jiang CP, He X, Yang XL, Zhang SL, Li H, Song ZJ, Zhang CF, Yang ZL, Li P, Wang CZ, Yuan CS. Anti-rheumatoid arthritic activity of flavonoids from Daphne genkwa . Phytomedicine 2014; 21: 830-837
• 35 Sun Y, Oberley LW, Li Y. A simple method for clinical assay of superoxide dismutase. Clin Chem 1988; 34: 497-500
• 36 Aebi H. Catalase in vitro . Meth Enzymol 1984; 105: 121-126
• 37 Hissin PJ, Hilf R. A fluorometric method for determination of oxidized and reduced glutathione in tissues. Anal Biochem 1976; 74: 214-226
• 38 Krawisz JE, Sharo P, Stenson WF. Quantitative assay for acute intestinal inflammation based on myeloperoxidase activity. Assessment of inflammation in rat and hamster models. Gastroenterology 1984; 87: 1344-1350