Protective Effect of Solanum indicum Var. Distichum Extract on Experimentally Induced Gastric Ulcers in Rat

The anti-ulcerogenic effects of Solanum indicum var. distichum alcoholic extract on aspirin and ethanol induced ulceration in rats with respect to antioxidant status in the gastric mucosa have been investigated. Animals were divided into two main classes, alcohol injury group and aspirin injury group and then each of them was classified into seven subgroups including controls administered saline or extract only without injury as well as injury groups with pretreatment with extract at 10% LD or 25% LD The inhibition 50 50. of lipid peroxides, which were highly elevated in rats with acute gastric mucosal injury, was taken as an index of oxidative stress. The activities of antioxidant defense enzymes were decreased considerably by oral gastric administration of aspirin and ethanol. The decreased levels of antioxidant biomarkers were altered to be near normal status upon pretreatment with S. indicum extract (SIE) when compared to the ulcer induced rats. S. indicum extract may exert its gastroprotective effect by a free radical scavenging action. In histopathologcal study, aspirin or alcohol caused a marked damaging effect on the stomach in the form of gastric mucosal ulceration with deformation of the gastric glands structure, hemorrhage and dilatation of blood vessels, while plant extract as a protecting agent caused restoration of normal structure of gastric mucosa occurred, being more observed with the larger concentration which showing complete regeneration of mucous secreting cells with quite normal distribution of mucopolysaccharides in the tissue. Our observations suggest that the current extract may have considerable prophylactic effect in the treatment of gastric ulcer.