Dipsacussaponin C from Dipsacus asper Reduces the Risk of Gastritis and Gastric Ulcer in Rats

The roots of Dipsacus asper (DA) have been used as a tonic and analgesic agent in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of osteoporosis, low back pain, knee pain, and as an anti-inflammatory agent. Few studies have reported pharmacological gastric activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of dipsacussaponin C (DSC) and 70% ethanol and water extracts of DA on gastritis and gastric ulcer in rat. First, we examined the free radical scavenging effect by the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay. Second, we examined the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) colonization inhibitory effect and found that DSC has a mild anti-H. pylori effect. Third, the cytotoxicity was assessed by measuring the cell viability of human gastric cancer cells (SNU638 and AGS). Also, we observed the acid-neutralizing capacity by measuring NaOH consumption volume and found that DSC is effective as an antacid agent. For these reasons, we observed the effect of DSC on HCl·ethanol-induced gastritis and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rat. In pylorus-ligated rats, DSC (200 mg/kg) also decreased the volume of gastric secretion (approximately 2.2 mL) and gastric acid output (0.16 mEq/4 hrs). From these results, we suggest that DSC isolated from DA may be useful for the treatment and/or protection of gastritis and gastric ulcer.