Abstract
Problem statement: Gastrointestinal ulcers account significantly for morbidity and mortality in Ghana. The study therefore investigate d the gastroprotective effect of an ethanolic root bark extract of Zanthoxylum zanthxyloides and its safety for us. Approach: Gastric ulceration was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats with Indomethacin (25 mg kg -1 , p.o) and was treated with 150, 250, or 500 mg kg -1 of the extract, or 20 mg kg -1 Esomeprazole. The number of ulcers per stomach, Ulcerative Index and Curative Ratio were determined. A histolo gical study of the gastric mucosa was also performed. The extract's effect on an isolated guin ea-pig ileum preparation was investigated to elucidate its possible mechanism of action. Safety assessments involving, organ weight to body weight ratio determination, hematological analysis and liv er function tests were performed. Results: The extract significantly decreased (p ≤0.001) the number of ulcers per stomach and the Ulc erative Index (similar to Esomeprazole) and significantly increas ed (p ≤0.001) the Curative Ratio in a dose-dependent manner. It completely corrected the architectural d istortions caused by gastric ulceration and inhibit ed significantly (p ≤0.001) the contractile responses of the isolated gu inea-pig ileum to Acetylcholine, Nicotine and Histamine in a manner comparable to reference antagonists. The extract had no significant effect (p>0.05) on organ weight to body ratio and hematological profile. Plasma levels of Alanine transaminase and Alkaline phosphatase decreased significantly (p ≤0.001) in extract and Esomeprazole-treated ulcerated rats. Levels of Gamma-glutamyl transferase , Total bilirubin (direct and indirect) however increased significantly (p≤0.01-0.001). Conclusion/Recommendations: Per the findings, the ethanolic root bark extract of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides has gastroprotective effect in Sprague-Dawley rats working possibly via antimuscarinic or antihistaminic mechanism. It however has a potential of causing cholestasis hence liver func tion should be monitored.
Highlights
Gastrointestinal ulcers accounts significantly for morbidity and mortality in developing parts of the world (Sharma et al, 2009; El-Sayed et al, 2012) probably because of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infections as a result of overcrowding, poor sanitation, poor water supply and poor socioeconomicCorresponding Author: George Asumeng Koffuor, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. 73Am
Indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration is a suitable model for investigating the gastroprotective effects of drugs
Indomethacin is a Cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibitor which acts to prevent the biosynthesis of prostaglandins
Summary
Gastrointestinal ulcers accounts significantly for morbidity and mortality in developing parts of the world (Sharma et al, 2009; El-Sayed et al, 2012) probably because of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infections as a result of overcrowding, poor sanitation, poor water supply and poor socioeconomic. Many developing countries of the world are endowed with vast resources of natural products including medicinal plants which have been used as remedy for various disease conditions. The animals were housed in polyacrylic cages (34×47×18 cm) with soft wood shaving as bedding, under ambient laboratory conditions (temperature 25±2°C, relative humidity 6070% and normal light-dark cycle). They were fed with normal commercial pellet diet (GAFCO, Tema, Ghana) and water ad libitum. The protocols for the study were approved by the Departmental Ethics Committee
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