Parkia pendula polysaccharides have no acute toxicity and prevent ethanol-induced gastric ulcers via downregulation of TBARS, IL-6, and TNF-α and upregulation of SOD, CAT, and IL-10.

We investigated the safety of Parkia pendula exudate polysaccharide (PePp) for acute toxicity and its gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers. In the acute toxicity test, animals were treated with a single dose of PePp (2000 mg/kg body weight) and evaluated for behavioral parameters, morbidity and mortality; also biochemical, hematological, and histopathological analysis. The mice were pretreated with a single dose of PePp (10, 25, 50 mg/kg) or ranitidine (80 mg/kg) before gastric ulcer induction with ethanol (99.9 %, orally). Subsequently, the stomachs were analyzed for macroscopic and histopathological parameters and the activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), lipid peroxidation, and cytokines IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10. PePp did not cause any changes in acute toxicity parameters. Pretreatment with PePp inhibited the formation of gastric ulcers by 52 %, 71 %, and 83 % at doses of 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg, respectively. Macroscopic improvements and treating gastric tissue exudative inflammatory infiltrate reduction were dose-dependent on PePp. In gastric tissue, PePp presented antioxidative effects, evidenced by increasing CAT and SOD activities and reducing lipid peroxidation; it also showed anti-inflammatory effects, evidenced by reduced IL-6 and TNF-α levels and elevated IL-10 levels. PePp is toxicologically safe and has a gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers.