Prevention of ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats by wu-bei-san

The effects of Wu-Bei-San (WBS) and its components Wu-Tsi-Ku (WTK) and Bei-Mu (BM) on gastric lesions induced by necrotizing agents were investigated in rats. Oral administration of WBS or WTK, but not BM, dose-dependently prevented gastric lesions induced by ethanol. Moreover, the gastric protective action of WTK was potentiated by simultaneous administration of BM under the same experimental conditions. Pretreatment with indomethacin, which is a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor and idoacetamide, which is a sulfhydryl blocker did not influence the inhibited ethanol lesion of WBS. Gastric lesions induced by acidified aspirin were prevented by both WBS and calcium carbonate, which is a major constituents of WTK. However, pretreatment with calcium carbonate did not affect the gastric lesions induced by ethanol. These results indicate protective action of WBS on the gastric mucosa through both acid neutralization and cytoprotection, although more work is needed to clarify the role of WBS in cytoprotection.