Gastroprotective effect of standardized extract of Ficus glomerata fruit on experimental gastric ulcers in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Traditionally fruits of Ficus glomerata Roxb (Family: Moraceae) are used to treat anemia and gastrointestinal disorders.

AIM: Gastroprotective effect of 50% ethanolic extract of F. glomerata fruit (FGE) was studied in different gastric ulcer models in rats.

METHODS

FGE (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally, twice daily for 5 days for prevention from pylorus ligation (PL), ethanol (EtOH) and cold restraint stress (CRS)-induced ulcers. Estimation of H+K+ATPase activity and gastric wall mucous were performed in EtOH-induced ulcer and antioxidant enzyme activities in supernatant mitochondrial fraction of CRS-induced ulcers.

RESULTS

FGE showed dose dependent inhibition of ulcer index in pylorus ligation, ethanol and cold restraint stress-induced ulcers. FGE prevents the oxidative damage of gastric mucosa by blocking lipid peroxidation and by significant decrease in superoxide dismutase, H+K+ATPase and increase in catalase activity. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis showed the presence of 0.57% and 0.36% w/w of gallic acid and ellagic acid in FGE.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that F. glomerata possess significant gastroprotective activity which might be due to gastric defence factors and phenolics might be the main constituents responsible for this activity.