POTENTIAL PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF CHRYSIN ON EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED GASTROPATHY IN RATS

Gastric ulcer is one of the major gastrointestinal disorders affecting people worldwide. Despite medical advances, management of gastric ulcer and its complications remains a challenge facing medicine nowadays. In addition, currently available medicines exhibited limited efficacy and several side effects. Chrysin is a naturally occurring flavonoid with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, it may play a pivotal part in management of gastric ulcer. The current research suggested that chrysin possesses a potential protective effect against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer via the underlying anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.  Chrysin was administered to spargue-Dawly rats (200-220 gm) at three different doses; 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, single oral dose (S.O.D) compared to omeprazole given at a dose of 30 mg/kg, S.O.D. Indomethacin was administered at a dose of 48 mg/kg, S.O.D.  As indicators of oxidative stress, indomethacin treatment caused significant reduction in catalase enzyme activity. Chrysin pretreatment significally attenuated indomethacin-induced oxidative injury. Additionally, indomethacin provoked inflammatory responses via increasing the level of tumor necrosis factor-ɑ while chrysin pretreatment significally inhibited those inflammatory responses. Furthermore, indomethacin was found to increase acidity in stomach leading to gastric mucosal injury while chrysin pretreatment lead to returnin acidity nearly to normal reducing gastric mucoal injury. Collectively, these findings indicate that chrysin possesses a potential protective effect against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer via suppressing acidity, oxidative stress and inflammation.