Introduction: Peptic mucosal damage induced by acute stress is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. The study aimed to investigate the protective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of pre-treatment with Chios mastic gum (CMG), a traditionally consumed herbal resin naturally deriving from the trunk of Pistacia Lentiscus var. Chia compared to Omeprazole, a standard medication used in the prevention and treatment of gastritis, against the effects of cold restraint stress (CRS) in rat gastric and colonic mucosa.
Methods: Twenty-one male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups: Control (C), Omeprazole (O), and CMG (M), according to the pre-treatment regime, and were subjected to CRS at 4oC for 3 hours. The gastric and colonic mucosal lesions were histologically assessed. ELISA measured blood concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (TEAC).
Results: In both groups, O and M, gastric mucosal hyperemia, haemorrhagic infiltration and mucosal oedema, as well as colonic mucosal hyperaemia and haemorrhagic infiltration were significantly reduced compared to the controls (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between Groups O and M. TNF-α levels were significantly lower in group M compared to Group O (p=0.013). IL-1β levels were significantly depressed in groups M and O compared to control (p≤ 0.001). The activity of both peroxidase and SOD enzymes decreased in group M compared to group O (p= 0.043 and p=0.047 respectively) and the control (p=0.018 and p< 0.001 respectively). Conclusions: The natural Chios mastic gum is a promising nutritional supplement with protective properties to the peptic mucosa against CRS, exerting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.