Document Type : Original Research Article
Authors
1
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UNIMAS, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
2
Faculty of Medicine MAHSA University, Bandar Saujana Putra, Jenjarom, Selangor, Malaysia
3
Medicinal Products Safety, Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products, Moscow, Russia. Department of Pharmacology, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
4
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
5
Institute of Medical Molecular Biotechnology, and Faculty of Medicine, UiTM, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
6
Department of Pharmacognosy, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
Abstract
Objective: Modern treatment of peptic ulcers includes antibacterial and gastroprotective medications. However, current anti-ulcer drugs possess severe side effects. Therefore, all attempts to find new effective medications free from side effects are justified. Though Berberis vulgaris is a medicinal plant commonly used for the treatment of numerous disorders, gastroprotective effect of its leaf extract was not investigated before.
Materials and Methods: Gastric ulcer was modelled in Sprague-Dawley rats after treatment with B. vulgaris leaf extract containing 0.07% of alkaloids, 0.48% of flavonoids and 8.05% of tanning substances, 10 or 50 mg of dry extract/kg, changes in the stomach mucosa were assessed semi-quantitatively, and the gastric wall was evaluated for prostaglandin E2 level using ELISA and assessed histologically by calculation of the lesion index.
Results: B. vulgaris leaf extract at the dose of 50 mg/kg reduced the macroscopic ulcer score and the microscopic lesion index, increased prostaglandin E2 concentration in the gastric wall significantly higher than atropine and B. vulgaris leaf extract 10 mg/kg.
Conclusion: The gastroprotective effect of the high dose of B. vulgaris leaf extract may be due to stimulation of prostaglandin E2 secretion in the stomach, and anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenolic complex of flavonoids and tannins present in the leaves of this plant.
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