Gastroprotective effect of alpha-pinene and its correlation with antiulcerogenic activity of essential oils obtained from Hyptis species

Marcelo de Almeida Pinheiro; Rafael Matos Magalhães; Danielle Mesquita Torres; Rodrigo Cardoso Cavalcante; Francisca Sheila Xavier Mota; Emanuela Maria Oliveira Coelho; Henrique Pires Moreira; Glauber Cruz Lima; Pamella Cristina da Costa Araújo; José Henrique Leal Cardoso; Andrelina Noronha Coelho de Souza; Lúcio Ricardo Leite Diniz

Articles

Abstract

Pharmacognosy Magazine,2015,11,41,123-130.

DOI:10.4103/0973-1296.149725

Published:January 2015

Type:Original Article

Authors:

Author(s) affiliations:

Marcelo de Almeida Pinheiro¹, Rafael Matos Magalhães¹, Danielle Mesquita Torres¹, Rodrigo Cardoso Cavalcante¹, Francisca Sheila Xavier Mota¹, Emanuela Maria Araújo Oliveira Coelho¹, Henrique Pires Moreira¹, Glauber Cruz Lima², Pamella Cristina da Costa Araújo², José Henrique Leal Cardoso², Andrelina Noronha Coelho de Souza², Lúcio Ricardo Leite Diniz¹
¹ Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
² Department of Physiology, Superior Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

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. Materials and 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). Conclusion: 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.