Comparison of Anti-Oxidant Activity of Different Brands of Esomeprazole Available in Iraqi Pharmacies

Abstract

Peptic ulcer involves mucosal injury in the gastrointestinal tract that has several underlying pathologies. Oxidative stress, defined as imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants inside the body, has been found to play an important role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer. Results from previous study by the same research team[1] showed that esomeprazole has a good antioxidant effect compared to other proton pump inhibitors used for the treatment of peptic ulcer. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the difference in antioxidant effect of various brands of esomeprazole available in Iraqi community pharmacies. Three brands of esomeprazole were investigated for their antioxidant effects by measuring their ability to scavenge the α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and compared to pure esomeprazole and vitamin C as a standard antioxidant. The antioxidant activity was expressed as IC50 values and as ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity (AEAC). IC50 values of 2 esomeprazole brands (Nexium and Gordex) were comparable to that of vitamin C and pure esomeprazole. In addition, the AEAC of Nexium and Gordex were statistically not different from vitamin C, while that of Esofag was lower than vitamin C. Nexium and Gordex have an adequate antioxidant activity to be comparable to vitamin C, and hence provide better options for the treatment of peptic ulcer. The work was conducted at the College of Pharmacy, University of Mosul.