Protective effect of Anzer honey against ethanol-induced increased vascular permeability in the rat stomach

The purpose of this study was to determine the protective effect of Anzer honey on ethanol-induced increased vascular permeability in rats. Evan's Blue (EB) dye, administered intracardiacly and extravasation of EB into the stomach, served as an indicator of vascular permeability following exposure to alcohol. Ethanol was given orally to the ethanol group for 90 days, and N-etylmaleimide (NEM) was given subcutaneously to the NEM group, and we observed increased extravasation of EB in the stomach in both groups. For this reason, we used NEM as a positive control for ethanol. Anzer honey, which contains 25.44 mg/g ascorbic acid, was given to the honey + ethanol group orally 30 min before beginning the 90-day ethanol administration. The mean amount of EB that leaked into the stomach of rats in the ethanol group and the NEM group was higher than that of the control group. Furthermore, if compared to the control, EB values in the stomachs were significantly reduced when receiving honey before administration of ethanol in rats. Histopathologically, the incidence and severity of gastric mucosal congestion were significantly reduced in the honey + ethanol group when compared to the ethanol group. These result indicate that Anzer honey is able to protect the stomach of the rat against ethanol-induced increased vascular permeability, which may be correlated with the ascorbic acid content. (c) 2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.