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BackgroundCuphea ignea is one of the herbal resources belonging to Lythraceae family. Some species of this family have been used traditionally in South and Central America’s folk medicine for treating stomach disorders. Therefore, the present study was performed to evaluate the gastropreventive effect of aqueous ethanolic extract of C. ignea aerial parts on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer.MethodsGastric ulcers were induced in Sprague Dawley rats using one oral dose of absolute ethanol (1.5 mL/rat). The C. ignea aerial parts extract at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight and ranitidine (a reference drug) at a dose of 30 mg/kg body weight were orally administrated daily for 7 days before ulcer induction. One hour after ethanol administration blood samples were collected and then stomachs of sacrificed rats were subjected to biochemical, macroscopic and microscopic studies.ResultsOral administration of C. ignea extract significantly attenuated gastric ulcer as revealed by significant reduction in the gastric ulcer index and volume of gastric juice while significantly increased preventive percentage, gastric pH value and pepsin activity. Pre-treatment of C. ignea extract markedly improved the serum level of TNF-α, the gastric MPO activity and NO content. Furthermore, C. ignea pre-treatment significantly increased the gastric levels of enzymatic and non- enzymatic antioxidants namely CAT, SOD, GSH-Px, and GSH with concomitant reduction in MDA level compared with those in the ethanol group. These results were further supported by histopathological findings which revealed the curing effect of C. ignea on the hemorrhagic shock induced by ethanol toxicity.ConclusionsC. ignea extract showed a potential gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer, and its effect may be mediated through suppression of oxidative stress and gastric inflammation.

HighlightsPhenolic compounds from Cuphea ignea extract were identified.Chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potentials of C. ignea extract were demonstrated in mice.Tumor, inflammatory, oxidative stress, apoptotic and angiogenic markers were investigated.Histopathological analysis showed improved lung tissues after treatment with C. ignea extract.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a phenomenon that is often associated with decreased intracellular drug accumulation in the tumour cells of a patient, resulting from enhanced drug efflux. It is often related to the overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on the surface of tumour cells, thereby reducing drug cytotoxicity. In the present study, naringin (the predominant flavonone found in grapefruit and other related citrus species) was tested for its potential ability to modulate the expression of P-gp in a short-term animal bioassay, in comparison with verapamil (a calcium channel blocker and positive MDR reversal agent). Western blot analysis showed that pre-treatment by i.p. administration of 5 mg naringin/kg body weight for 3 consecutive days prior to doxorubicin (the most common used anticancer drug which induces MDR) administration was able to significantly lower the P-gp expression reaching nearly the level of animals treated with verapamil. Moreover, pre-treatment with naringin prior to doxorubicin increased the sensitivity to the drug. Naringin inhibited the doxorubicin-stimulated ATPase activity demonstrating that naringin may interact directly with the transporter. In addition, the results demonstrated that induction of both glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) by doxorubicin is consistent with an increased ATP-dependent doxorubicin transport. Thus, naringin seems to modulate the in vivo expression of P-gp. In summary, the present study describes the dual modulation of P-gp expression and function by the flavonoid naringin, which may be an attractive new agent for the chemosensitization of cancer cells.

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