Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Pulegone ameliorates inflammation and oxidative stress in L-arginine-induced acute pancreatitis in mice by regulating the activation of p38 MAPK pathway

Qinpan Xiong¹, Chao Du² , Wei Xia³, Kang Tang³

¹Department of Critical Care Medicine, The People's Hospital of Yuechi County, Guang 'an, Sichuan Province 638300, China; ²Department of Endocrinology, The People's Hospital of Yuechi County, Guang 'an, Sichuan Province 638300, China; ³Department of Endocrinology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610072, China.

For correspondence:- Chao Du Email: Duchao_555@163.com Tel:+868265271396

Accepted: 20 March 2022 Published: 30 April 2022

Citation: Xiong Q, Du C, Xia W, Tang K. Pulegone ameliorates inflammation and oxidative stress in L-arginine-induced acute pancreatitis in mice by regulating the activation of p38 MAPK pathway. Trop J Pharm Res 2022; 21(4):755-760 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v21i4.11

© 2022 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of pulegone (PLG) on inflammation and oxidative stress in L-arginine-induced acute pancreatitis (AP), and determine its molecular mechanism.

Methods: Hematoxylin-Eosin (H & E) staining assay were performed, and histopathological score, blood glucose concentration, and serum amylase level were evaluated in order to assess the effects of PLG on pancreatic injury in L-arginine-induced AP mice. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to assess the levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), malonaldehyde (MDA) and inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β) in L-arginine-induced AP mice. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and relative levels of ROS generation in L-arginine-induced AP mice were determined using an LDH kit and immunofluorescence assay, respectively. The effect of pulegone (PLG) on the activation of p38 MAPK pathway in L-arginine-induced AP mice was evaluated by Western blot.

Results: Significant pancreatic tissue injury occurred in L-arginine-induced AP mice was revealed. PLG alleviated the pathological injury of pancreatitis, and decreased the blood glucose concentration and serum amylase level in L-arginine-induced AP mice. In addition, PLG inhibited oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, and was enabled to inhibit the activation of p38 MAPK pathway in L-arginine-induced AP mice. Furthermore, PLG exhibited protective effect against the development of pancreatic injury in L-arginine-induced AP mice.

Conclusion: PLG ameliorates L-arginine-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in AP mice in vivo by inhibiting p38 MAPK pathway, and therefore, is a potential therapeutic agent for the management of acute pancreatitis.

Keywords: Pulegone, Inflammation, Oxidative stress, Acute pancreatitis, p38 MAPK pathway