Estudo do Efeito Gastroprotetor da Goma do Cajueiro (anacardium Occidentale) Carboximetilada na Lesão Gástrica Induzida por Etanol em Camundongos Swiss

Abstract

Gastric ulcer is considered one of the most prevalent diseases of the 21st century, around 20- 60 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. One of the factors associated with gastrointestinal tract disorders is the high consumption of alcoholic beverages that induce an inflammatory process resulting in mucosal damage. The most common medications used to treat gastric lesions may be associated with some adverse reactions, such as headaches, dizziness and gastrointestinal illnesses. In this case, it is necessary to carry out studies that seek to find new treatment alternatives. Natural products have been used for years by folk medicine, in which polysaccharides obtained from plants are considered rich sources of bioactive compounds, as they have characteristics that favor changes in their structures. Polysaccharides have become the target of studies of chemical modifications that seek to improve their physicochemical properties, such as solubility, molecular weight, molecular structure and ramifications, with Gum Cajueiro (CG) being a polysaccharide extracted through the exudate of Anacardium occidentale a of promising compounds, due to its biotechnological application in the formulation of nanoparticles, having pharmacological activities with antimicrobial, antidiarrheal and anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, the present work aimed to carry out chemical modification of CG by the carboxymethylation process and to evaluate the protective activity of carboxymethylated cashew gum (GCC) in an experimental model of gastric injury induced by 50% ethanol in Swiss mice. The gastroprotective activity of the gum was evaluated in the experimental model of gastric ulcers induced by 50% ethanol. The experimental protocol was approved by CEUA/UFPI, protocol n 009/19. For this purpose, male and female Swiss mice (25-30g), kept at 25  2C and 12 h light/dark cycle, with free access to water and feed, were used. The animals were kept with solid food restriction 18 h before the experiment, with free access to water. The animals were divided into 3 groups (n=6). Initially the animals were pretreated with GCC at a dose of (60mg/kg v.o) and 0.9% saline, 1 hour after pretreatment 50% ethanol (0.5ml/25g v.o) was administered. After 1h, euthanasia was performed and then the stomachs were opened to determine the lesion area (macroscopic analysis) and tissue fragments were removed for microscopic analysis and SOD and MDA analysis. In the FT-IR of the CG it presented vibrations in the characteristic bands of polysaccharides. The FT-IR of the GCC showed elongation of the bands in the characteristic regions of modification by carboxymethylation. Gastric lesions were examined macroscopically, and histopathological analyzes were performed. The results showed that treatment with GCC at a dose of 60 mg/kg orally reduced the formation of gastric lesions in the experimental model, observed both at the macroscopic and microscopic levels of pre-treated animals, which maintained tissue integrity and prevented alterations morphological changes induced by ethanol in cells. Such protective effects were also evidenced by their ability to act by raising SOD levels. In addition to decreasing the MDA levels of gastric samples from animals pretreated with GCC submitted to ethanol injury. Together, the results of the present work provide evidence that GCC may have a gastroprotective role in mice.