[Antiulcer properties of shosaiko-to]

Recently it has been reported that Shosaiko-to (SHO), a traditional Chinese medicine used for treating gastritis and hepatitis, also has been found useful for treating gastric ulcers, although no pharmacological study has yet investigated the precise antiulcer properties of SHO. Herein, the authors report on the results of a rat study in which the effects of SHO on gastric ulcers, acid secretions and potential difference of gastric mucosa (PD) were studied. SHO (100, 250 or 500 mg /kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited the development of ethanol-induced gastric lesions in a dose-dependent manner. SHO (500 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited the development of aspirin-,indomethacin- or water-immersion-stress induced gastric lesions. Sucralfate (500 mg/kg, p.o.) inhibited both ethanol- and aspirin-induced gastric lesions, and cimetidine (10 mg/kg, p.o.) inhibited aspirin-, indomethacin- or stress-induced gastric lesions. SHO (10, 30 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) also significantly inhibited pentagastrin- and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)-induced gastric acid secretions in a dose-dependent manner, whereas cimetidine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited a pentagastrin-induced secretion and atropine (0.05 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited pentagastrin- or 2-DG-induced acid secretions. SHO (250, 500 or 1000 mg/kg, i.g.) significantly inhibited ethanol-induced PD reduction. Sucralfate (500 mg/kg, i.g.) inhibited the reduction, and cimetidine (250 mg/kg, i.g.) didn't inhibit it. These results indicate that SHO not only possesses the capability of protecting the rat gastric mucosa as well as sucralfate, but also is able to inhibit gastric acid secretions like cimetidine or atropine.