Abstract
CONTEXT
The leaf of Careya arborea Roxb. (Lecthidaceae) has been advocated in Ayurveda for the treatment of various disorders, including ulcers, healing of wounds and several skin diseases.
OBJECTIVE
The 70% ethanol (EtOH) extract of C. arborea leaves (CALE) was investigated for its gastroprotective effect in different gastric ulcer models.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
CALE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally, twice daily for 5 d, for preventing aspirin (ASP)-, EtOH-, pylorus ligation (PL)-, and cold restraint stress (CRS)-induced ulcer in rats. The status of the antioxidant enzymes in CRS-induced ulcers, H(+)K(+)ATPase activity, gastric wall mucous in EtOH-induced ulcer, and gastric secretion parameters were estimated in the PL-induced ulcer model.
RESULTS
CALE exhibited significant (p < 0.01) dose-dependent inhibition of ulcer index in ASP 12.90-51.61%, EtOH 11.97-40.35%, PL 28.63-63.92%, and CRS 38.30-66.37%, respectively. A significant (p < 0.001) decrease occurred in the level of H(+)K(+)ATPase, volume of gastric juice, and acid output. Simultaneously, the level of gastric wall mucus was increased significantly (p < 0.05). The antioxidant enzyme levels of LPO and SOD were decreased with concomitant increase in catalase activity in CRS-induced ulcers. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) showed the presence of quercetin, ellagic acid, and gallic acid (0.31%, 0.24%, and 0.71% w/w, respectively) in CALE.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that C. arborea possesses significant gastro-protective activity, probably due to its free radical scavenging activity, and validate the folklore claim.
Collapse