Histochemical demonstration of mucosubstances in the mouse gastrointestinal tract treated with Origanum hypericifolium O. Schwartz and P.H. Davis extract

Glycoconjugate-containing mucous in the gastrointestinal tract has lubricant and cytoprotective effects. This study was performed to demonstrate the intensity of mucous in the stomach, small and large intestine tissues of female BALB/c mice injected intraperitoneally with 0.2 ml of the Origanum hypericifolium extract for six weeks. The staining procedures employed were Alcian Blue (AB) at pH 1 and 2.5, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and lectins including Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA),Arachis hypogaea (PNA, Peanut Agglutinin) and Maackia amurensis leucoagglutinin (MAL). The mucous glands in the large intestine of the experimental groups were found to show stronger positive reaction for AB at pH 2.5 and PAS when compared with the controls. In lectin histochemistry, the mucous glands which reacted with lectins exhibited less density for PNA in the stomach and for MAL and PNA in the small intestine in the experimental groups than the controls. In the large intestine of the experimental groups, less staining pattern of GNA was observed on the surface epithelium of villi when compared with the controls. The results suggest that O. hypericifolium extract increases acidic and neutral mucosubstances in the large intestine and also changes some glycan structures in the gastrointestinal tract.   Key words: Mucosubstances, Gastrointestinal tract, Glycoconjugates, Origanum hypericifolium.