Effect of a Mixture of Rhei Rhizoma and Scutellariae Radix Extract on Acute Reflux Esophagitis Rats

Objective : Reflux esophagitis is a disease caused by reflux of stomach contents, stomach acid, and pepsin into the esophagus, and is currently increasing worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a mixture of Rhei Rhizoma and Scutellariae Radix (RS) extract on acute reflux esophagitis in rats. Methods : Rats were divided into five groups for examination: Normal group (Nor, n=8), water-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (Con, n=8), tocopherol 30 mg/kg body weight/day-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (Toco, n=8), RS 100 mg/kg body weight/day-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (RS100, n=8), RS 200 mg/kg body weight/day-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (RS200, n=8). All rats fasted for 18 h and then were derived by linking the metastatic junction between pylorus and forestomach and corpus. And rats were sacrificed 5 h after surgery. We analyzed the expression of NADPH, MAPK, inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and tight junction related proteins by western blot in esophageal tissue and observed the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), alanine aminotransferanse (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum. Results : RS administration significantly protected the esophageal mucosal damage of reflux esophagitis, and ROS, AST, and ALT levels were significantly reduced in RS administration compared to Con group. In addition, RS administration effectively suppressed MAPK and NF-κB pathways and upregulated protein expressions of tight junction protein. Conclusions : These results suggest that RS protected the esophageal mucosa by inhibiting the MAPK and NF-κB pathways and upregulating tight junctions. 1)