Gastric Ulcers in Middle-Aged Rats: The Healing Effect of Essential Oil from Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae)
Gastric Ulcers in Middle-Aged Rats: The Healing Effect of Essential Oil from Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae)
C. M. Polo,1 T. M. Moraes,1 C. H. Pellizzon,2 M. O. Marques,3 L. R. M. Rocha,1 and C. A. Hiruma-Lima1
1Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, 18618-970, SP, Brazil
2Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 18618-970, SP, Brazil
3Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), Campinas, P.O. Box 28, 13012-970, SP, Brazil
Received 13 July 2012; Accepted 22 September 2012
Academic Editor: Guillermo Schmeda-Hirschmann
Copyright © 2012 C. M. Polo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The elderly population has experienced increased life expectancy as well as the increased incidence of gastric ulcers. The peels of fruits from Citrus aurantium L., popularly known in Brazil as orange bitter, are commonly used asatea form for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract disorders, such as ulcer and gastritis. We evaluated the healing effects of essential oil from the peels of Citrus aurantium fruits (OEC) on gastric ulcers in middle-aged rats. We examined the effects of a 14-day chronic OEC treatment on gastric mucosa in middle-aged male Wistar rats that were given acetic-acid-induced gastric lesions by morphometric and immunohistological analyses. Oral OEC treatment significantly reduced the lesion area (76%) within the gastric mucosa and significantly increased ( ) the height of regenerated mucosa (59%) when compared to the negative control group. Immunohistochemical analysis of the molecular markers such as COX-2, HSP-70, VEGF, and PCNA in the gastric mucosa confirmed that OEC treatment induced healing effects by increasing the number of new blood vessels and by augmenting gastric mucus in the mucosa glands. These results suggest that the oil from Citrus aurantium effectively heals gastric ulcers in middle-aged animals; however, safe use of OEC demands special care and precautions.
1. Introduction
An increase in life expectancy combined with a steady decline of the birth rate in developed countries has led to an unprecedented demographic revolution, characterized by an explosive growth in the number of elderly people [1]. Consequently, concerns about the health of the elderly has become more relevant; an increased life expectancy has paralleled an increase in the incidence of gastric and duodenal ulcers [2, 3]. Older individuals also tend to have a higher prevalence of comorbid factors, including Helicobacter pylori infection, smoking, presence of other diseases, or use of medications that increase their risk for acid-related disorders [4].
Previous studies have found a reduction of protective physiological factors in gastric mucosa, such as prostaglandins, mucus, and hormones, including serum gastrin, in the elderly population [5, 6]. Older individuals often have reduced acid secretion [7, 8], blood flow, and prostaglandin levels in the gastric and duodenal mucosa [9–12] as well as reductions in bicarbonate secretion [13] and mucosal cell proliferation [11, 14], among other conditions. According to Gabriel et al. [15], an individual over 60 years of age has a 3-fold increased risk of developing gastrointestinal complications after the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) compared to younger persons. Other drugs that are commonly used by the elderly, including tranquilizers, psychotropic drugs, diuretics, laxatives, antibiotics, and glucocorticoids, have harmful effects on the gastrointestinal tract [16]. Even some commonly antiulcerogenic drugs, such as proton pump inhibitors (lansoprazole and omeprazole), can cause acute nephritis [17] and hepatitis [18]. Other common adverse effects of proton pump inhibitors are nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and endocrine abnormalities, namely, gynecomastia [19]. Therefore, efficacious antiulcer drugs that do not present side effects are needed as well as therapies for the relief and healing of erosive lesions and the prevention of disease recurrence in younger and older populations.
Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) is used worldwide to treat gastritis and other gastric disorders; its essential oil is commonly used as a flavoring agent. In Brazil, peels dried from C. aurantium named as “laranja-da-terra,” were commonly used asatea form to treat ulcers, gastritis, and stomachache and studies from Moraes et al. [20] already described the gastroprotective action of this essential oil to increase gastric mucus production in young rats and the dose-response curve as this essential oil characterized the dose of 250 mg/kg (p.o.) as the most effective. Therefore, we evaluated by morphometric and immunohistological analysis the ulcer healing effects of the essential oil from Citrus aurantium in midd (...truncated)
