Protective Effects of Gallic Acid Against Chronic Restraint Stress-Induced Histological Alterations of Skin

Authors : Betül Zehra Karip, İlayda Özge Polat, Seda Kırmızıkan, Esra Çikler
Pages : 499-505
Doi:10.34087/cbusbed.1623924
View : 44 | Download : 55
Publication Date : 2025-12-31
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :Aim: Stress is a situation that living beings face at every stage. It has been called the pandemic of our time and plays a role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in response to stress leads to increased tissue inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many inflammatory skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, are triggered or exacerbated by stress. In our study, chronic restraint stress, a physical and mental stress model, was used to investigate the protective effect of gallic acid (GA) against the damage induced by this model in rat skin at the morphological level. Method: Subjects were divided into four equal groups (n=7): Control (C), Chronic Stress (CS), and Chronic Stress+Gallic Acid (CS+GA). Histologic sections from each group were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H-E), Masson trichrome, and toluidine blue. Results: In the CS group, there was a decrease in epidermal thickness, losses in epidermal cell morphology, and a detachment of collagen integrity. Concurrently, there was an increase in mast cell count and anti-IL-6 immunohistochemical positivity. In the CS+GA group, epidermal thickness, inflammation, and collagen structure parameters were similar to the CS group. Anti-IL-6 immunohistochemical positivity was significantly decreased compared to the CS group. Conclusion: According to our findings, gallic acid morphologically reduced the damage caused by chronic immobility stress on the skin mucosa. Given these findings, different studies may use gallic acid as a protective adjuvant in stress-induced skin damage.
Keywords : Deri, Kısıtlama stresi, Gallik asit, Oksidatif stres

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