Antioxidant activity of Cissampelos pareira on benzo(a)pyrene-induced mucosal injury in mice

• Published in: Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2007-10, Vol.27 (10), p.625-632
• Main Authors: Amresh, G, Rao, Chandana Venkateswara, Singh, Paras Nath
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: animal injuries; animal models; Antioxidant activity; antioxidants; Benzo(a)pyrene; benzopyrene; Biological and medical sciences; cell culture; Cissampelos; Cissampelos pareira; ethanol; Feeding. Feeding behavior; free radical scavengers; free radicals; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastric toxicity; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; gastrointestinal system; hydrogen peroxide; in vivo studies; medicinal plants; mice; Mouse; mucosa; nitric oxide; Oriental traditional medicine; oxidative stress; plant extracts; polyphenols; Reactive oxygen species; roots; supercritical fluid extraction; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0271-5317; 1879-0739
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2007.05.009

Abstract This study evaluated the antioxidant activity of Cissampelos pareira (L.) Hirsuta (family: Menispermaceae). The roots of the C pareira (50% ethanol extract) were found to contain a large amount of polyphenols and exhibit significant and dose-dependent reducing ability, indicative of potent antioxidant ability both in vitro and in vivo. The C pareira extract (CPE) showed significant antioxidant activity in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay. The ability of CPE to scavenge reactive oxygen and nitrogen species was tested; and it was found to significantly scavenge superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and nitric oxide at a dose regimen of 50 to 400 μ g/kg in vitro. The CPE also inhibited hydroxyl radical–induced oxidation of proteins in vitro. The efficacy of CPE was further tested in vivo. It was found to exhibit a potent protective activity in an acute oxidative tissue injury animal model: benzo(a)pyrene-induced gastric toxicity in mice. Treatment with CPE at a dose regimen of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight in mice, significantly and dose dependently protected the gastric mucosa against benzo(a)pyrene-induced oxidative stress. The CPE, significantly and dose-dependently, also afforded protection against gastric lipid peroxidation, glutathione levels, and activities of other antioxidant enzymes, namely, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione S -transferase. These results indicate the compelling antioxidant activity of C pareira in vitro and against the stress induced by the gastric carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene in vivo. This is the first report on the antioxidant properties of C pareira against benzo(a)pyrene.