Therapeutic potential and mechanism of thymol action against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in rat model

• Thymol protected the ethanol-induced oxidative stress, through upregulating the production of antioxidant enzymes.
• Downregulation of MMP-9 was observed in thymol-pretreated rat gastric mucosa.
• Thymol potentially protected the constriction of gastric arteries.

In this study, we investigated the potential of thymol and its mode of action to protect against the gastric mucosal injury induced by ethanol consumption in an in vivo model. Moreover, we determined the role of thymol in regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), an enzyme belonging to the metalloproteinase group, which is responsible for the remodeling of injured tissues. Sprague–Dawley rats pretreated with thymol (10 mg/kg body weight) or normal saline were subjected to intragastric administration of 95% ethanol (5 mL/kg body weight). Morphological examination included ulcer index as a measurement of hemorrhages, and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed to analyze severity of gastric mucosal damage. Gelatinase zymography of tissue extract and in situ zymography were performed to demonstrate MMP-9 activity. Results of macroscopic examination suggested that thymol significantly protected gastric mucosa from damage induced by alcohol, which was severe in the case of alcohol-only treatment. H&E data demonstrated necrosis of the corpus region in alcohol-treated rats, which was abrogated in rats pretreated with thymol. Further, thymol protected against the constriction of small arteries and neutrophil infiltration in lymphatic vessels. Expression of antioxidant enzymes increased in the thymol-pretreated group, and downregulation of MMP-9 protein expression was observed by gelatin zymography as well as in situ zymography. The results of this study suggest that thymol protects against gastric mucosa injury induced by ethanol consumption by upregulating the secretion of antioxidant enzymes and downregulating the expression of the MMP-9 protein.

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