Authors: mueller, m. h.; gong, q.; kelber, o.¹; kasparek, m. s.; sibaev, a.²; mansmann, u.³; yuce, b.⁴; li, y. y.⁵; storr, m.⁴; kreis, m. e.⁶

Source: Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Volume 21, Number 4, April 2009 , pp. 467-476(10)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

 

Herbal preparations are evolving as promising agents for the treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders which are considered to be secondary to visceral hypersensitivity. We aimed to determine whether a new combination of six herbal extracts reduces the sensitivity of intestinal afferents in rat. Male Wistar rats (250-350 g, n = 6 per group) were gavaged with either vehicle or 2.5, 5 or 10 mL kg⁻¹ of STW 5-II, a herbal preparation which contains six extracts. Two hours later, animals were anaesthetized and extracellular multi-unit mesenteric afferent nerve recordings were obtained in the proximal jejunum in vivo. Afferent discharge to 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (5-HT) (5, 10, 20 and 40 μg kg⁻¹, i.v.), luminal distension (0-60 mmHg) and bradykinin (BK) (15, 30 and 60 μg kg⁻¹, i.v.) was recorded. At baseline, spontaneous afferent discharge was not different following pretreatment with the various doses of STW 5-II compared with vehicle. The pressure-dependent increase in afferent discharge to intraluminal ramp distension and the dose-dependent increase in afferent firing following 5-HT were also uninfluenced by STW 5-II pretreatment. In contrast, the afferent nerve responses to 15, 30 and 60 μg kg⁻¹ of BK were reduced following 10 mL kg⁻¹ STW 5-II with peaks at 106 ± 19, 153 ± 22 and 156 ± 25 imp s⁻¹ compared with 160 ± 15, 228 ± 14 and 220 ± 16 imp s⁻¹ following vehicle pretreatment (mean ± SEM, P < 0.05). Intestinal afferent sensitivity to BK which plays a prime role in nociception was reduced following STW 5-II. Thus, STW 5-II may be of therapeutic use for conditions that involve neuronal hypersensitivity and the release of BK in the intestine.

Keywords: afferent; herbal medicine; jejunum; phytomedicine; visceral hypersensitivity

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2982.2008.01232.x

Affiliations: 1: Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany 2: Institute of Surgical Research, Ludwig-Maximilan's University, Munich, Germany 3: Ludwig-Maximilian's University, Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Munich, Germany 4: Department of Gastroenterology, Ludwig-Maximilian's University, Munich, Germany 5: Department of Pathophysiology, Tongji University, Medical School, Shanghai, China 6: Department of Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilian's University, Munich, Germany

Publication date: 2009-04-01

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