Abstract

ANTIULCEROGENIC AND GASTROPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF PLECTRANTHUS AMBOINICUS ON COLD RESTRAINT STRESS AND NSAID INDUCED GASTRIC ULCERS IN ALBINO RATS

Kavitha Ch. N.*, Dilip Raja K., Moharnab Pradhan and Karuna Choudhary

ABSTRACT

Plectranthus amboinicus (PA) has been used to treat many ailments including stomach ulcer disease in folk medicine in India, but its efficacy has not been validated. The present study was therefore carried out to investigate the antiulcerogenic & gastroprotective activity of hydroalcoholic leaf extract of PA in rats. The effect of PA extract on gastric ulcers in cold restraint stress & NSAID induced ulcer models was studied using doses of 200, 400 mg/kg. Esomeprazole, 20 mg/kg was used as the reference standard. Severity of ulcers, ulcer score, and ulcer index were measured. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Dunnette‟s multiple comparison post hoc test, and probability values; p<0.01 & p<0.001 were considered as statistically significant. PA, at doses of 200 mg/kg & 400 mg/kg significantly reduced gastric ulcers with respect to the number as well as severity of ulcers in each animal in a dose dependant manner in both the CRS ulcer model & NSAID ulcer model. The highest dose of PA (400 mg/kg) elicited highly significant protective effect (p< 0.001) in both ulcers and much more potent effect than the reference standard, i.e., Esomeprazole. PA possesses both dose-dependent and time-dependent anti-ulcer effect in the two models. The oral median lethal dose (LD50) was estimated to be higher than 2000 mg/kg for the crude hydroalcoholic extract. and secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, tannins, and saponins were present. The findings of this study confirmed that PA has antiulcer & gastroprotective effects due to the presence of the various constituents such as monoterepenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids etc. Therefore, the current study validates its antiulcer use in Indian folk medicine. Further investigations on isolation of phytochemicals and elucidating machamisms of action are needed to design as clinically useful therapeutic agents in the treatment of peptic ulcers.

Keywords: Antiulcerogenic activity, Gastroprotective activity, Plectranthus amboinicus, Cold restraint stress, NSAID induced ulcers, Ulcer score.