Magnolol attenuates peroxidative damage and improves survival of rats withsepsis

Reactive oxygen species and peroxidative damage are implicated in the patho physiology of sepsis. Magnolol is a compound extracted from the Chinese med icinal herb Magnolia officinalis and has multiple pharmacological effects, notably antioxidant functions. To determine whether magnolol can modulate t he course of sepsis, survival rate and biochemical parameters were analyzed in rats with sepsis with various treatment protocols. Magnolol at doses ra nging from 10(-9) g/kg to 10(-5) g/kg was administered either before or aft er induction of sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture. Magnolol did not mod ulate the course of sepsis induced by two cecal punctures. When one cecal p uncture was performed, a moderately evolving type of sepsis was induced, an d the survival rate of affected rats was significantly improved by pretreat ment with 10(-7) g/kg magnolol. The beneficial effect was partially retaine d if magnolol was administered 6 hours after onset of sepsis when a higher dose (10(-5) g/kg) was used. The intensity of lipid peroxidation in plasma, liver, and lung of septic rats was also attenuated in a treatment-dependen t manner. Magnolol at this dose range exerted these beneficial effects prob ably through its antioxidant efficacy. These significant results may sugges t magnolol as a candidate agent for the treatment of sepsis.