Departamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Jan 6;139(1):234-43. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.11.007. Epub 2011 Nov 10.
Rhizophora mangle, the red mangrove, has long been known as a traditional antiulcer medicine. The present work evaluated the mechanisms of action involved in the anti-ulcer properties of the Rhizophora mangle bark extracts.
Gastroprotection of Rhizophora mangle was evaluated in rodent experimental models (ethanol). To elucidate the mechanisms of action the antisecretory action and involvement of NO, SH, mucus and PGE(2) were evaluated. The acetic acid-induced gastric ulcer model, Western blotting assay (COX-1, COX-2 and EGF) and immunohistochemical localization of HSP-70, PCNA and COX-2 were also used to evaluate the Rhizophora mangle healing properties.
Results showed that Rhizophora mangle bark crude extract (CE), as well as ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and butanolic fractions (BuOH) provided significant gastroprotection at all the tested doses. Thereby, the following protocols were performed using the lowest dose capable of producing the most effective gastroprotection, which was the BuOH 0.5mg/kg (P<0.001). Several mechanisms are involved in the antiulcer activity of Rhizophora mangle, such as, participation of NO, SH and mucus. The enhancement of PGE(2) levels and the upregulation of COX-2 and EGF seem to be directly linked to the antisecretory, cytoprotective and healing effects of BuOH. HSP-70 and PCNA are also involved in this cicatrisation process. No sign of toxicity was observed in this study, considering the analyzed parameters.
Our study reinforces its traditional medicinal use. Considering that the current therapies are based on the use of antisecretory or cytoprotective drugs, the Rhizophora mangle arises as a promising alternative antiulcer therapy.
红树（Rhizophora mangle），作为一种传统的抗溃疡药物，其功效早已为人所知。本研究旨在评估红树树皮提取物发挥抗溃疡作用的相关机制。
通过在啮齿动物实验模型（乙醇）中评估红树的胃保护作用，来阐明其作用机制，同时还评估了抗分泌作用以及一氧化氮（NO）、巯基（SH）、粘液和 PGE（2）的参与情况。此外，还使用乙酸诱导的胃溃疡模型、Western blot 分析（COX-1、COX-2 和 EGF）以及 HSP-70、PCNA 和 COX-2 的免疫组织化学定位，来评估红树的愈合特性。
结果表明，红树树皮粗提取物（CE）以及乙酸乙酯（EtOAc）和正丁醇（BuOH）部分在所有测试剂量下均能提供显著的胃保护作用。因此，在以下研究中使用了能够产生最有效胃保护作用的最低剂量，即 BuOH 0.5mg/kg（P<0.001）。红树抗溃疡活性涉及多种机制，如 NO、SH 和粘液的参与。PGE（2）水平的提高以及 COX-2 和 EGF 的上调似乎与 BuOH 的抗分泌、细胞保护和愈合作用直接相关。HSP-70 和 PCNA 也参与了这一愈合过程。在本研究中，从所分析的参数来看，没有观察到毒性迹象。
本研究进一步证实了其传统药用价值。考虑到当前的治疗方法基于使用抗分泌或细胞保护药物，红树作为一种有前途的抗溃疡治疗方法出现了。
