Gastric and duodenal antiulcer effects of aqueous bark extract of Dialium guineense Wild. (Fabaceae) and the possible mechanisms in laboratory models

Abstract

The plant Dialium guineense (DAG) has been claimed by local users, to be effective in the treatment of peptic ulcers, especially, when taken as an aqueous decoction. The present study assessed the antiulcer activity of the plant, as well as explored the possible mechanisms of action of the herbal drug, aside identifying some of the various phytoconstituents, which could be responsible for its antiulcer activity. Different ulcerogens (ethanol 99.9 %, indomethacin 50 mg/kg, cysteamine 400 mg/kg, glacial acetic acid) and the pylorus ligation-induced ulcers were used to induce acute and chronic ulcers, with doses of 100, 300 and 750 mg/kg DAG and the standard drugs relative to each model, while assessing drug activity through ulcer scoring and comparing it with both the negative and positive controls. The extract, which has an LD50 of 1584.89 mg/kg when administered intraperitoneally, recorded a significant (p<0.05) antiulcer effect in all the models used in the study. Similarly, in the pylorus-ligated group, DAG compared effectively with atropine (1 mg/kg) and ranitidine (100 mg/kg), the standard antagonists of the secretagogues- carbachol and histamine employed in the study. The herbal drug produced a significant reduction in gastric juice volume, as well as in the free and the total acidity. The results suggest that DAG possesses a significant antiulcer property through cytoprotective and antisecretory actions, and it could be projected that the presence of secondary metabolites such as tannins, saponins and flavonoids could be responsible for its ulcer protective and healing property. The study therefore validates the folkloric use of DAG in the treatment of peptic ulcer.