Antiulcerogenic effect of some gastrointestinally acting plant extracts and their combination.
Extracts from the plants Iberis amara, Melissa officinalis, Matricaria recutita, Carum carvi, Mentha x piperita, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Angelica archangelica, Silybum marianum and Chelidonium majus, singly and combined in the form of a commercial preparation, STW 5 (Iberogast) and a modified formulation, STW 5-II, lacking the last 3 constituents, were tested for their potential anti-ulcerogenic activity against indometacin induced gastric ulcers of the rat as well as for their antisecretory and cytoprotective activities. All extracts produced a dose dependent anti-ulcerogenic activity associated with a reduced acid output and an increased mucin secretion, an increase in prostaglandin E2 release and a decrease in leukotrienes. The effect on pepsin content was rather variable and did not seem to bear a relationship with the anti-ulcerogenic activity. The most beneficial effects were observed with the combined formulations STW 5 and STW 5-II in a dose of 10 ml/kg b.w., comparable with cimetidine in a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w. The anti-ulcerogenic activity of the extracts was also confirmed histologically. The cytoprotective effect of the extracts could be partly due to their flavonoid content and to their free radical scavenging properties.
Khayyal
M T
MT
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
el-Ghazaly
M A
MA
Kenawy
S A
SA
Seif-el-Nasr
M
M
Mahran
L G
LG
Kafafi
Y A
YA
Okpanyi
S N
SN
D000818:Animals; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D015289:Leukotrienes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism; D010434:Pepsin A / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D015289:Leukotrienes; D009077:Mucins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011453:Prostaglandins; D010434:Pepsin A