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 inv estigated in rats. Oral administration of WBS or WTK, but not BM, dose -dependently prevented gastric lesions induced by ethanol. Moreover, t he gastric protective action of WTK was potentiated by simultaneous ad ministration of BM under the same experimental conditions. Pretreatmen t with indomethacin, which is a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor and idoacetamide, which is a sulfhydryl blocker did not influence the inhi bited ethanol lesion of WBS. Gastric lesions induced by acidified aspi rin 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 indi cate protective action of WBS on the gastric mucosa through both acid neutralization and cytoprotection, although more work is needed to cla rify the role of WBS in cytoprotection.