The healing effects of Teucrium polium in the repair of indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the healing effect of Teucrium polium (T. polium) in indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rats.


METHODS
In the fall of 2007, 250 Sprague-Dawley rats provided by the Shiraz University Laboratory Animal Center were divided into 4 equal groups including control (70 rats), and 3 experimental groups (60 rats each), and each group received different doses of T. polium. Ten rats were used to study the induction of gastric ulcer by indomethacin (25 mg/kg/stat). After 24 hours, their stomachs were evaluated for any mucosal ulcer. The T. polium extract was administered orally, 24 hours after indomethacin administration. In the experimental group, 10 animals were sacrificed after 24, 48, and 72 hours, after administration of T. polium, and at one, 2, and 4 weeks, and in the control group identically after the administration of distilled water.


RESULTS
In rats treated with indomethacin, multiple ulcers were evident. After 4 weeks of treatment with T. polium, more re-epithelialization, proliferation, mucosal hyperplasia, migration of the gastric epithelial cells, and decrease in inflammatory cells were observed. The T. polium reduced the ulcer indices by >50% after one week, >80% after 2 weeks, and >90% after 4 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
The healing effect of T. polium may be due to antioxidant activity along with the ability to modulate the mucin secretion, prostaglandin synthesis, and epidermal growth factor receptor expression. These results along with the non-toxicity properties of T. polium suggests it as a promising anti-ulcer compound.
Department of Pathology, Gastroenterohepathology Research Center, Nemazee Hospital, PO Box 71345-1744, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. mehrabad@sums.ac.ir
Davood
D
Mehrabani
Aminallah
A
Rezaee
Negar
N
Azarpira
Mohammad R
MR
Fattahi
Masoud
M
Amini
Nader
N
Tanideh
Mohammad R
MR
Panjehshahin
Mehdi
M
Saberi-Firouzi
D000818:Animals; D007213:Indomethacin; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy*; D031367:Teucrium
D010936:Plant Extracts; D007213:Indomethacin