Gastroprotective Activity of the Total Flavones from Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic Flowers

Background. Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic flower is a medicinal plant for the treatment of diseases in China. The present study was carried out to scientifically validate the gastroprotective activity and clarify the possible mechanism of the total flavones from Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic flowers (TFA). Methods. Gastric ulcer was induced in mice by oral administration of ethanol. The gastroprotective activity of TFA was evaluated by the gastric ulcer index and histological examinations. The gastric tissue was collected in the form of homogenate. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and protein content were measured. Western blotting for the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, TNF-alpha, and NF-kappa B(p65) was also carried out. The effect of TFA was compared with that of standard antiulcer drug omeprazole (100 mg/kg). Results. This gastroprotective effect of TFA could be attributed to the increase in the activity of SOD and GSH and decrease in the levels of MDA and also decrease in the levels of Bax, TNF-alpha, and NF-kappa B(p65) expressions and increase in the Bcl-2 expression level. Conclusion. The findings of this study demonstrated that TFA could significantly attenuate ethanol-induced gastric injury via antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects.