Abstract: To estimate the gastroprotective effect of Amorpha fruticosa L. honey (AFH) against ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer, mice pretreated with AFH via oral gavage for 10 days were administered with 65% ethanol to induce acute gastric ulcer injury. The effect of AFH on the gastric pathological morphology and ulcer index of mice was analyzed, and its effect on gastric antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity in mice with acute alcoholic gastric ulcer was explored by the determination of biochemical indexes of oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. The results revealed that AFH protected the integrity of gastric mucosa, and alleviated the decrease in superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione content as well as the accumulation of malondialdehyde caused by ethanol consumption significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with the model control group, the AFH-treated mice showed significantly higher contents of prostaglandin E2 and NO (P < 0.05), but significantly lower content of tumor necrosis factor α in the gastric tissue (P < 0.05). The results of polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that AFH significantly down-regulated the gene and protein expression of ulcer-related pro-inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.05). Taken together, AFH has a potential gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer by protecting the gastric mucosa from ethanol-induced damage and regulating oxidative stress and the expression of inflammatory cytokines.

Key words: Amorpha fruticosa L. honey; ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer; oxidative stress; preventive effect