Effect of garlic agglutinin and garlic extracts on the rat jejunum

Abstract

In an earlier study it was reported that intragastric intubation of a mannan specific lectin, ASA 110 from edible garlic ( Allium sativum) was bound to the brush border membranes and epithelial cells of the intestine and arrested the growth of swiss albino rats. The aims of present study were to determine the systemic effects of ASA 110 on jejunal enzymes and nucleic acids and to assess the morphological changes in jejunum. Swiss male albino rats were fed either purified ASA 110 or native/heat denatured crude garlic extracts by intragastric intubation for 7 days. Although, ASA 110 and heat treated garlic extracts had no significant effect on nucleic acids, crude extracts in native form showed increased levels of nucleic acids in jejunum. While activities of disaccharidases and acid phosphatase (ACP) were higher, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and adenosine triphosphatase (total and ouabain sensitive ATPase) were lower in the jejunum of ASA 110 fed rats. On the other hand, native and heat treated garlic extracts significantly enhanced disaccharidases along with LDH, ACP and ALP, whereas the loss of ouabain sensitive ATPase was not significantly different from that of ASA 110 treated rats. However, a significant rise in the protein content was seen in all the rats irrespective of treatment. Histological examination of jejunum of treated rats revealed alterations of brush border membrane, thinning and sloughing off of villus structure and vacuolisation. It is concluded that garlic lectin (ASA 110) influences biological functions by altering Na K ATPase in rat intestine. However, differential effects of ASA 110 and garlic extracts on nucleic acids and ALP after gastric intubation indicated that other components of garlic besides ASA 110 need to be examined for the assessment of biological activity of brush border membrane of intestinal tract.