ROLE OF MUCUS ON GASTRODUODENAL CYTOPROTECTION INDUCED BY DEHYDROLEUCODINE, ISOLATED FROM ARTEMISIA DOUGLASIANA BESSER

We have demonstrated that dehydroleucodine (DhL), a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Artemisia douglasiana Besser, prevents gastroduodenal damage induced by necrosis-inducing agents such as absolute ethanol. We have also reported, by a qualitative study, that this protective effect is related to the ability of the drug to stimulate mucus production. The present study was designed to quantitatively evaluate the effect of DhL on mucus layer thickness, to obtain an approach more objective to the mechanism of the cytoprotective action of the drug. Rockland mice (n=10) were randomly divided into two groups: I) Control: received an oral dose of 0.4% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC; 0.10 ml/10 g) and II) Experimental: received DhL in CMC (40 mg/kg, 0.10 ml/10g). One hour later the animals were decapitated. The thickness of the mucus gel layer was measured in unfixed stomachs and duodena, using a stereomicroscope conected to a video camera. Gel images were processed by the computer program IMAGE-1. We obtained the following results: Stomach: 226.55 um ± 42.22 vs. control 123.49 ± 7.00 (P<0.05); Duodenum: 140.12 ± 23.14 vs. control 76.88 ± 2.00 (P<0.05). We conclude that he final target of the modifications induced by DhL is the increase in the thickness of the mucus gel layer. This fact confirms that one of the main mechanisms involved in the cytoprotective action of the drug is mucus secretion.