Chungpihongsim radish (Raphanus sativus L. cv. Chungpihongsim) ameliorates ethanol-induced gastric injury in rats

Abstract

We evaluated whether crude juice extract of chungpihongsim radish (Raphanus sativus L. cv. Chungpihongsim) (CH radish), with its characteristic red flesh and white skin, ameliorated ethanol-induced gastric injury in rats. Animals were divided into five groups: normal control, a group given CH radish extract (1000 mg/kg) only, two groups orally administered CH radish extract (500 and 1000 mg/kg, respectively, daily for 2 weeks) with ethanol treatment (5 mL/kg) 24 h after final administration of CH radish extract, and a group treated with ethanol alone. Tissues of stomach were collected after sacrifice, and the gastric mucosal injury index using hemorrhagic lesions were measured. Lipid peroxidation was evaluated based on malondialdehyde concentration. The radical-scavenging enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were also measured. Rats treated with CH radish extract (500 or 1000 mg/kg) for 2 weeks experienced no change in body weight. Pretreatment with the extract at both doses significantly ameliorated ethanol-induced hemorrhagic lesions in the gastric mucosa (p < 0.05), decreased malondialdehyde concentration (p < 0.05), and increased the levels of SOD (p < 0.05) and CAT (p < 0.05), compared to ethanol-alone treatment. These findings suggest that pretreatment with CH radish extract reduces ethanol-induced damage in the gastric mucosa, mediated partly by a decrease in lipid peroxidation and an increase in the cytoprotective radical-scavenging enzymes SOD and CAT.