Gentiana lutea

Ponticelli, Maria, Lela, Ludovica, Moles, Mariapia, Mangieri, Claudia, Bisaccia, Donatella, Faraone, Immacolata, Falabella, Roberto & Milella, Luigi, 2023, The healing bitterness of Gentiana lutea L., phytochemistry and biological activities: A systematic review, Phytochemistry (113518) 206, pp. 1-27 : 19

3.9. Gentiana lutea L. gastroprotective and hepatoprotective activity

3.9.1. In vivo studies

Gentianae radix has been extensively studied for its choleretic and hepatoprotective properties, thus representing a good remedy for stomach and liver inflammations. As regards the gastroprotective effect, in pylorus-ligated mice treated with methanolic extract of gentian root in the duodenum, there was a decrease in gastric juice secretion and total acid output with a dose-dependent effect considerable at doses of 500 and 1000 mg /kg. The same results were achieved by EtOAc and n - BuOH fractions with an activity comparable to that of 60 mg /kg of cimetidine (histamine H2 receptor antagonist that blocks stomach acid secretion during ulcer treatment). These effects could be related to increased secretin levels or other mechanisms. The radix extract and the fractions obtained (EtOAc and n -BuOH) also showed a protective effect in the case of pyloric-ligation plus aspirin-induced ulcers (20 mg /mL) in a dose-dependent manner, and in particular, for the fractions, the effect was comparable to cimetidine. Furthermore, oral administration of the two fractions revealed protective effects in gastric ulcers induced by immersion stress, while EtOAc soluble fraction showed protection against ethanol-induced gastric lesions. In these two fractions, a high concentration of gentiopicroside and amarogentin was observed, and these bitter compounds are probably responsible for the gastroprotective effect by acting on the prostaglandin pathway. In fact, both secoiridoids showed a protective effect in the case of ulcers induced by immersion stress, while amarogentin was also effective in gastric lesions induced by ethanol. However, no effect was observed when indomethacin (5 mg /kg), an inhibitor of prostaglandins synthesis, was used as pre-treatment ( Niiho et al., 2006).

As for hepatoprotective action, in recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of liver problems ( Xiao et al., 2019). Several plant species have shown important liver effects, such as silymarin from Silybum marianum induces a reduction of inflammatory factors like interleukin-10, TNF - α, interferon, and IFN- γ with a consequent hepatoprotective effect ( Vargas-Mendoza et al., 2014). The beneficial effect of gentian on the liver may be due to the gentiopicroside since its protective effect in the presence of cholestasis has been reported in previous studies ( Han et al., 2018).