Enhancement of gastric ulcer healing and angiogenesis by cochinchina Momordica seed extract in rats

J Korean Med Sci. 2010 Jun;25(6):875-81. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2010.25.6.875. Epub 2010 May 24.

Abstract

Cochinchina momordica seed is the dried ripe seed of Momordica cochinchinensis, a perennial vine. The antiulcer effect of an extract from cochinchina momordica seeds (SK-MS10) was evaluated in a rat model of acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers. Gastric ulcers were produced by subserosal injection of acetic acid. SK-MS10 (200 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered orally once per day for 14 days after the acetic acid injection. The stomach was removed and the ulcer size measured at day 7 and 14 of the treatment. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was assessed by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. In addition, the microvasculature density (MVD) adjacent to the ulcer margin was examined by immunohistochemistry. The treatment with SK-MS10 for 7 and 14 days significantly accelerated ulcer healing and increased the expression of mRNA (at day 7) as well as VEGF protein (at day 14) compared to the vehicle-treated rats. The MVD for factor VIII was also higher in the SK-MS10 treatment group compared to the vehicle-treated rats; however, these differences were not statistically significant. These results suggest that SK-MS10 treatment accelerates the healing of gastric ulcers via upregulation of VEGF and angiogenesis in an acetic acid rat model.

Keywords: Acetic Acid; Angiogenesis; Cochinchina Momordica Seed Extract; Stomach Ulcer; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetic Acid / toxicity
  • Administration, Oral
  • Animals
  • Anti-Ulcer Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Factor VIII / metabolism
  • Male
  • Momordica / chemistry*
  • Neovascularization, Physiologic / drug effects*
  • Plant Extracts / therapeutic use*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Seeds / chemistry
  • Stomach Ulcer / chemically induced
  • Stomach Ulcer / drug therapy*
  • Stomach Ulcer / pathology
  • Up-Regulation
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / genetics
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-Ulcer Agents
  • Plant Extracts
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Factor VIII
  • Acetic Acid