Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the toxicity of the dried seaweed, Sargassum plagiophyllum, extract (SPE) pretreatment in constipated mice.Methods: The dried seaweed powder was mixed with distilled water and extracted by autoclave at 121°C. Antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Human normal colon cells were pretreated with SPE at 0 - 100 μg/mL for 24 h before challenging them with 100 μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were quantified using 2',7'- dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA). Male ICR mice were pretreated for 14 consecutive days with SPE at 100, 500 and 1,000 mg/kg or lactulose at 500 mg/kg. Body weight and food intake were recorded daily. Constipation was induced with loperamide on days 12, 13 and 14 and fecal pellets evacuated over a 4-hr period. The ileum, liver, kidney, and spleen were collected for histopathological examination.Results: The IC50 for the radical scavenging capacity of SPE was 343.90 ± 4.21 μg/mL compared to 14.14 ± 0.71 μg/mL for ascorbic acid. Pretreatment with SPE was significantly reduced ROS production in human normal colon cells. Oral administration of all doses of SPE and lactulose for 14 consecutive days had no effect on food intake or body weight when compared to the normal control group. Defecation was significantly more frequent in mice pretreated with SPE at 100 mg/kg than in the constipation control group. Histopathological examination of the ileum, liver, kidney and spleen of pretreated constipated mice revealed no toxic effect from either SPE or lactulose. On the other hand, the loss of mucus-producing cells in the ileum of constipated mice was significantly lower in mice pretreated with SPE.Conclusions: These findings support the safety of SPE supplementation and may broaden itsapplication in clinical fields as an alternative drug or supplement for constipation management.
Highlights
Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem characterized by infrequent stools, difficult stool passage, or both
To prepare the SPE, 10 g of dried S. plagiophyllum powder were mixed with 1 L of distilled water and the mixture was autoclaved at 121 °C for 20 min
reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in human normal colon cells after stimulation with 100 μM H2O2 was significantly lower after pretreatment with SPE at 10 - 100 μg/mL for 24 h (Figure 1 B)
Summary
Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem characterized by infrequent stools, difficult stool passage, or both. The present study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and biochemical activities of S. plagiophyllum extract, and any toxic effect on the ileum, kidney, liver, and spleen of constipated mice. Human normal colon cells were kindly provided by Dr Supansa Kongseng, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. To prepare the SPE, 10 g of dried S. plagiophyllum powder were mixed with 1 L of distilled water and the mixture was autoclaved at 121 °C for 20 min. The mixture was incubated for 30 min at room temperature and absorbance was measured at 517 nm with a microplate reader (Synergy HT; BioTek, USA). All mice were acclimatized for 7 days before the experiment started They were placed in stainless steel cages, kept under standard environmental conditions at 23 - 27 °C with 50 55% humidity under a 12-hour light/12-hour dark cycle. The data were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05
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