Protective effect of salvianolic acid B against intestinal ischemia reperfusion-induced injury in a rat model

Purpose : To evaluate the gastro-protective efficacy of salvianolic acid B (SAB)  against intestinal ischemic-reperfusion injury (IIRI) in a rat model. Methods : Forty-eight healthy male rats were randomly choosen and divided into 4 groups of 12 rats each. Control group rats underwent laparotomy without occlusion; IIRI group rats underwent laparotomy with occlusion for 60 min, followed by 24 h of reperfusion; SAB + IIRI group received 7 days of pretreatment with 40 mg/kg of SAB + IIRI; while the fourth group received only SAB. The antioxidant, inflammatory markers, intestinal permeability marker, as well as intestinal histopathological changes were assessed. Results: The activities of antioxidants including reduced glutathione (GSH),  catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly ameliorated (p < 0.01) in SAB-supplemented group (SAB + IIRI). The concentration of inflammatory markers, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor p65 (NF-p65) as well as small intestinal permeability marker (FITC-Dextran), were significantly reduced (p < 0.01) following administration of SAB for 7 days. In addition, pretreatment with SAB reverted intestinal (ileum) histopathological changes to almost normal architecture with significant reduction in Chiu score. Conclusion : The results of this study demonstrate that SAB may protect the intestine by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammatory response and hence, may be potentially for treating IIRI. Keywords : Salvianolic acid B, Intestinal Ischemia-reperfusion, Antioxidants,  Inflammation, Intestinal permeability