Vol. 279, Issue 1, G192-G200, July 2000
Treatment of gastric ulcers and diarrhea with the Amazonian
herbal medicine sangre de grado
Mark J. S.
Miller1,2,
Wallace K.
MacNaughton3,
Xiao-Jing
Zhang1,2,
Jane H.
Thompson1,2,
Randi M.
Charbonnet1,2,
Paul
Bobrowski1,2,
Juan
Lao4,
Ann Marie
Trentacosti5, and
Manuel
Sandoval1,2
1 Department of Pediatrics and Center for Cardiovascular
Sciences, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York 12208;
2 Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University Medical
Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112; 3 Department of
Physiology and Biophysics, Gastrointestinal Research Group, University
of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1; 4 Universidad
Nacional Agraria de la Selva, Tingo Maria, Peru; and
5 Rainforest Phytoceuticals, Delmar, New York
12054
Sangre de grado is an
Amazonian herbal medicine used to facilitate the healing of gastric
ulcers and to treat gastritis, diarrhea, skin lesions, and insect
stings. This study was designed to evaluate the gastrointestinal
applications. Gastric ulcers were induced in rats by brief serosal
exposure of the fundus to acetic acid (80%). Sangre de grado was
administered in drinking water at 1:1,000 and 1:10,000 dilutions from
the postoperative period to day 7. Guinea pig ileum
secretory responses to capsaicin, electrical field stimulation, and the
neurokinin-1 (NK-1) agonist [Sar9,Met(O2)11]substance P were
examined in Ussing chambers. Sangre de grado facilitated the healing of
experimental gastric ulcer, reducing myeloperoxidase activity, ulcer
size, and bacterial content of the ulcer. The expression of
proinflammatory genes tumor necrosis factor-
, inducible nitric oxide
synthase (iNOS), interleukin (IL)-1
, IL-6, and cyclooxygenase-2 was
upregulated by ulcer induction but reduced by sangre de grado
treatment, particularly iNOS and IL-6. In Ussing chambers, sangre de
grado impaired the secretory response to capsaicin but not to
electrical field stimulation or the NK-1 agonist. We conclude that
sangre de grado is a potent, cost-effective treatment for
gastrointestinal ulcers and distress via antimicrobial,
anti-inflammatory, and sensory afferent-dependent actions.
cytokine; inflammation; neuropeptides; Croton sp.; complementary medicine
