Cytoprotective effects of Bergenia ciliata Sternb, extract on gastric ulcer in rats.

Bergenia ciliata is used for the treatment of stomach disorders in the folk medicine of some areas of South East Asia. This study was designed to evaluate its gastroprotective effects on ethanol/HCl, indomethacin and pylorus ligation-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg b/w of the aqueous and methanol extracts of the rhizome were administered 1 h after ulcerogenic treatment. The animals were killed 3 h later, their stomachs removed and the mean area of ulcer lesion was determined. The weight of mucus and gastric acidity were also measured. The aqueous extract decreased the ulcer lesion (p < 0.05) in all models to a greater extent than the methanol extract, but at the higher doses the effect was reduced. In addition, the antiulcer activity appears to be mediated via cytoprotective effects conferred by enhancement of the mucosal barrier, rather than by prevention of gastric acid secretion or the lowering of pH and acidity.