In vivo Gastro-Protective Effects of Five Moroccan Medicinal Plants against Gastric Ulcer

Centaurea chamaerhaponticum Ball. (Asteraceae), Lawsonia inermis L. (Lythraceae), Origanum compactum Benth. (Lamiaceae), Punica granatum L. (Punicaceae) and Ceratonia siliqua L. (Sapindaceae) are medicinal plants recommended in Moroccan folk medicine for the treatment of gastric ulcers. The protective effects of the studied plants against gastric damage were investigated using three experimental models in rats (HCl/ethanol, pylorus ligation, and aspirin-induced ulcer). Each plant extract (250 or 500 mg/kg) was orally administered once prior to ulcer induction. The antiulcer activity was assessed by comparing the ulcer index and gastric parameters in the test group with those of the control group. As a result, all five plant extracts showed, at the high dose, a significant gastro-protective effect. O. compactum showed the highest ulcer protective in NSAID-induced ulcer model (86.1 % of protection), greater than that of omeprazole (79.7 %) and almost similar to that of cimetidine (84.8%). The volume of gastric secretion was decreased significantly by C. chamaerhaponticum (50% of gastric secretion reduction), C. siliqua (46.4%) and L. inermis (42.8%) similarly to omeprazole’s antisecretory effect (50% of secretion reduction). A significant decrease in the total acidity was noticed only at the highest dose for all tested plants (percent of total acidity reduction ranged from 22.2 to 30.5 %), except for C. chamaerhaponticum which showed no significant modifications in both total acidity and gastric pH. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that the selected plants possess potent gastroprotective and antisecretory properties, which justify the ethno-medicinal claims.

Author(s): Fatima-Zahra Bakhtaoui, Hind Lakmichi, Abderrahman Chait and Chemseddoha A. Gadhi1

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