Crocin exerts improving effects on indomethacininduced small intestinal ulcer by antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antiapoptotic mechanisms

Crocin is a plantderived carotenoid and bears potent antioxidant property. Ranitidine (a histamine H2 receptor blocker) is used for peptic ulcer treatment. The present study was planned to investigate the effects of crocin and ranitidine on indomethacininduced ulcer in small intestine of rats. Animals were randomized into two major groups including indomethacin (10.00 mg kg1, ulcer group, 48 rats) and normal saline (1.00 mL kg1, intact group, 48 rats) groups. Each of these two major groups was subdivided into eight subgroups for intraperitoneal (IP) injections of normal saline, crocin (2.50, 10.00 and 40.00 mg kg1), ranitidine (5.00 and 20.00 mg kg1), crocin (2.50 and 10.00 mg kg1) plus ranitidine (5.00 mg kg1). Indomethacin induced intestinal ulcer was characterized by bleeding, inflammation, epithelial hyperplasia and crypt loss. This nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), indomethacin decreased goblet cell number and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and increased small intestine weight, organosomatic index (OSI), malodealdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factorα (TNFα) and caspase3 contents of intestine. Crocin resolved all the abovementioned parameter changes induced by indomethacin. These treatments produced no significant effects on the abovementioned parameters of intact group. The results of the present study showed tissue protective and antiulcer effects of crocin on small intestine by antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antiapoptotic mechanisms. Ranitidine alone showed no effect; however, in combination with crocin it exerted recovery effects. It is recommended that crocin, be considered as a therapeutic agent for NSAIDsinduced intestinal damage management.