Planta Med 2015; 81 - PW_90
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1565714

Preservation of gastric functional activity in a novel stress model of functional dyspepsia by the herbal preparation, STW5

MT Khayyal 1, M Farouk 1, W Wadie 1, H El-Abhar 1, T Efferth 2, H Abdel-Aziz 3
  • 1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
  • 2Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
  • 3Scientific Department, Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany

We report novel findings regarding modulation of gastric emptying and function by the herbal preparation STW5 (Iberogast®) in a recently established model of functional dyspepsia (FD) [1] simulating the clinical situation where FD is attributed to emotional stress in early life [2], followed by later stress [3]. STW5 consists of standardized extracts of Iberis amara (Brassicaceae), Melissa officinalis (Lamiaceae), Matricaria chamomilla (Compositae), Carum carvi (Apiaceae), Mentha piperita (Lamiacea), Angelica archangelica (Apiaceae), Silybum marianum (Compositae), Chelidonium majus (Papaveraceae), and Glycyrrhiza glabra (Leguminosae). Rats were subjected to neonatal maternal separation at intervals during the first 3 weeks of birth followed by restraint stress in adulthood. Restraining sessions were carried out 90 min/day for 1 week during which they were given STW5 in daily doses of 2 and 5 ml/kg p.o. One day after the last session, gastric emptying time was determined using phenol red [4]. Stressed rats showed marked delay in gastric emptying, an effect which was counteracted dose dependently by STW5. We tried to correlate changes in gastric emptying with changes in stress hormone levels and gastric reactivity towards smooth muscle stimulants and relaxants. We had shown earlier that giving STW5 ahead of stress prevented changes in fundus strip sensitivity to carbachol, serotonin, adrenaline and KCl. Here we extend our findings by giving STW5 alongside with stress. STW5 prevented the rise in corticosterone and changes in fundus sensitivity to these agents induced by the model. The preservation of gastric functional activity by STW5 in the face of stress contributes to our understanding of its beneficial use in FD [5].

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