Palmul-tang, a Traditional Herbal Formula, Protects against Ethanol-induced Acute Gastric Injury in Rats

Objectives: Palmul-tang (hachimotsu-to in Japanese and bawu-tang in Chinese) is a mixture of eight herbs. It is traditionally used 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 Palmul-tang water extract (PTE) against ethanol-induced acute gastric injury in rats. Material and Methods: Acute gastric lesions were induced by intragastric administration of 5mL/kg body weight of absolute ethanol to each rat. Control group rats were given PBS orally and the ethanol group (EtOH group) received absolute ethanol (5mL/kg) by oral gavage. The positive control group and the PTE group were given oral doses of omeprazole (50mg/kg) or PTE (400mg/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 PTE, 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. Results: PTE reduced ethanol-induced hemorrhage and hyperemia in the gastric mucosa. PTE reduced the increase in lipid peroxidation associated with ethanol-induced acute gastric lesions and increased mucosal GSH content and the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Conclusion: These results indicate that PTE protects gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced acute gastric injury by increasing antioxidant status. We suggest that PTE could be developed as an effective drug for the treatment of acute gastric injury. KCI Citation Count: 2