Abstract
Background and AimsFunctional dyspepsia (FD) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent postprandial upper‐abdominal discomfort and epigastric pain. Although FD markedly reduces the patient's quality of life, involving elevates health‐care costs, treatment of this condition by methods other than prescribed medicines, such as natural products, could be beneficial. Delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric accommodation play important roles in pathogenesis of FD. Anethole (1‐methoxy‐4‐((E)‐propenyl)‐benzene), a major component in essential fennel oil has been used in flavouring, alcoholic beverage production and pharmaceutical formulations. In this study, we examined the effects of anethole on delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric compliance in animals.MethodsGastric emptying was monitored by phenol red marker method in mice. Induction of delayed gastric emptying was performed by the administration of clonidine, dopamine or a 5‐HT3 receptor agonist m‐CPBG. Gastric accommodation (compliance test) was examined in rats by a pressure‐volume control device, barostat. Acetylcholinesterase activity was measured using assay kitResultsOral administration of anethole restored delayed gastric emptying induced by clonidine administration. The dose of anethole did not affect gastric emptying in non‐stressed mice. We also found that fennel oil, which contains about 86% anethole, suppressed clonidine‐induced delayed gastric emptying. Furthermore, a Japanese herbal medicine An‐chu‐san containing anethole improved the gastric emptying in the presence of clonidine. Pharmacological and biochemical analyses suggested that anethole restores gastric emptying independently of D2, 5‐HT3, 5‐HT4 receptors and acetylcholinesterase. Finally, anethole stimulated gastric compliance in rats both with and without wrap restraint stress.ConclusionsTaken together, our results suggest that anethole could be beneficial for treatment of postprandial distress and early satiety in patients with FD.Support or Funding InformationThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not‐for‐profit sectors.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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