Diphenyl diselenide reverses gastric lesions in rats: Involvement of oxidative stress

The aim of the present study was to evaluate if diphenyl diselenide administered by oral route was effective in restoring gastric lesions induced by ethanol. The possible involvement of oxidative stress in diphenyl diselenide antiulcer effect was also evaluated. Different doses of diphenyl diselenide (dissolved in soya bean oil, 1 mL/kg) were administered orally 1 h before (pre-treatment study) or 1 h after ethanol (70%, v/v, 2 mL/kg, post-treatment study). Ulcer lesions were quantified 1 h after ethanol administration (pre-treatment protocol) or 1 h after diphenyl diselenide study (post-treatment protocol). Diphenyl diselenide (0.1–10 mg/kg or 0.32–32 μmol/kg), when administered previously or posteriorly prevented and reversed respectively, the development of gastric lesions induced by ethanol in rats. A number of markers of oxidative stress were examined in rat stomach including thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), non-protein thiol groups (NPSH) and ascorbic acid. In addition to attenuating the gastric lesions, low doses of diphenyl diselenide prevented (pre-treatment) or reversed (post-treatment) the ethanol-induced changes in TBARS, SOD activity and ascorbic acid content. In conclusion, the present data reveal that diphenyl diselenide, administered by oral route, possesses an antiulcer effect by modulating antioxidant mechanisms.