Effects Of Huashi Liquor On Gastrointestinal Function In Rats With Dampness Retention Syndrome And Its Mechanism

There is a close relationship between gastrointestinal tract function and dampness retention syndrome. Dampness retention can result in gastrointestinal tract abnormal of digestion and absorption, inhibition of intestinal motor, dysfunction of gastrointestinal internal secretion, and the abnormal expression of somatostatin (SS) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP).Huashi Liquor has an obvious therapeutical effect on acute and chronic gastroenteritis caused by dampness retention.Objectives:To investigate the effects of Huashi Liquor gastrointestinal function in rats with dampness retention syndrome and to primarily study its mechanism.Methods:The rat model of Dampness retention syndrome was established by the improvement of traditional methods. Under the room temperature at 28±2 ℃, SD rats were obliged to swim for 15 min in a pool with 25 cm water depth and at 28±2℃of water temperature followed by intragastric administration of 2 ml/100g distilled water at 4℃. After that, the rats were fed in cages with 4 cm depth of water from the bottom taking food and drinking water freely. The procedure was repeated once a day, continuously 6 days.After the rat model of Dampness retention syndrome was established, the rats of control group and dampness retention syndrome group were intragastric administration of 2 ml/100g normal saline and Huashi Liquor ( equal to dried medicinal herb 0.4 g/100 g, 0.8 g/100 g and 1.6 g/100 g ) respectively, once a day, continuously 8 days.The items below were observed: the clinical symptoms (eg. mental status, activity, stool, food intake and the weight); histopathological changes of gastrointestinal mucosa; the gastrointestinal digestion and absorption function; the activity of SOD, pepsin, AchE and the NOS, and the content of MDA and NO in hypothalamus, serum and the gastraintestinal tract, and the expression of SS, VIP and the Fas in gastraintestinal tract.Results:Compared with that of control group, dampness retention syndrome group rats showed activity decrease, drowsiness, drop of food intake, weight loss, depilation and diarrhea. Male rats also showed atrophy of scrotum. The concentration of D-Xylose in serum significantly decreased and the small intestinal driving velocity became slow in the dampness retention syndrome rat. The gastric mucosa showed hyperaemia, edema and hemorrhage, ulcer, inflammatory cell infiltrate, focal necrosis, and decrease of gland cell induced by dampness retention. Small intestinal mucosa showed erosion, swelling and necrosis in the dampness retention syndrome rat. The activity of pepsin and SOD the NO content obviously decreased. The MDA content and the expression of SS, VIP and the Fas in gastraintestinal tract significantly increased.The administration of Huashi Liquor obviously improved the the clinical symptoms of dampness retention syndrome rats. Huashi Liquor significantly inhibited the AchE activity in hypothalamus, increased the NOS activity and NO content, promoted absorption of D-Xylose and intestinal driving velocity, obviously blunted the decrease of SOD and pepsin activity and the increase of MDA content in serum and gastro, and regulated the expression of SS,VIP and Fas in of small intestine in dampness retention syndrome rats.Conclusions:Huashi Liquor has a protective effect on gastrointestinal function in dampness retention syndrome rats. The protective mechanism of Huashi Liquor to gastrointestinal function and construction injury in dampness retention syndrome rats may be involved in decrease of AchE activity and increase of NOS activity in hypothalamus, and increase of NO content, improvement of gastrointestinal digestion and absorption and movement, and enhancement of antioxidative stress ability by Huashi Liquor.