Preventive Effect of Cichorium Intybus L. Two Extracts on Cerulein-induced Acute Pancreatitis in Mice

Objectives: acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition ofpancreas with sudden onset, high mortality rate and multiple organfailure characteristics. it has been shown that oxygen free radicals havean important role in development of pancreatitis and its complications.antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hepatotoxicity and gastroprotectiveproperties of cichorium intybus l. suggest that this plant may havebeneficial effects in the management of acute pancreatitis.methods: five intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of cerulean (50 ?g/ kgat 1 h intervals) in mice resulted in acute pancreatitis, which wascharacterized by edema, neutrophil infiltration, as well as increases inthe serum levels of amylase and lipase in comparison to normal mice.different doses of c. intybus root (cre) and aerial parts hydroalcoholicextract (cape) orally (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) and intraperitoneally (50,100, 200 mg/kg) were administrated 1.0 and 0.5 h respectively beforepancreatitis induction on separate groups of male mice (n=6). controlgroups treated with normal saline (5 ml/ kg) similarly.results: both extracts in greater test doses (100 mg/kg and200 mg/kg, i.p.) were effective to decrease amylase (23-36%)and lipase (27-35%) levels. in oral route, the dose of 200 mg/ kgshowed a significant decrease in levels of amylase (16%) andlipase (24%) activity while the greatest dose (200 mg/kg, i.p.) wasonly effective to diminish inflammatory features like edema andleukocyte infiltration in pancreatitis tissue (p < 0.01). vacuolizationwas not significantly reduced in extracts treated groups.conclusions: these data suggest that c. intybus hydroalcoholicextracts were effective to protect against experimental acutepancreatitis and the efficacy was partly dependent to the dose andwas more significant after parenteral administration.