The effect of 3-methoxy-5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavan on the restraint induced gastric ulceration augmented by aspirin, a gastric mucosal barrier breaker.

The gastric anti-ulcer activity of 3-methoxy-5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavan (ME), a specific histidine decarboxylase inhibitor, has been studied on a new experimental restraint rat model in which the ulcerogenic effect of 6 h restraint stress was augmented by the prior treatment with 50mg/kg p.o. dose of aspirin. Aspirin is a known gastric mucosal barrier breaker and it produces a significant increase of the ulcer index in the restraint rat model. ME (ED50 22mg/kg) was found to be more potent than cimetidine (ED50 31mg/kg) in this model. The results of this study indicate that ME, which has been shown to possess significant anti-ulcer activity against 24 h restraint, 19 h pylorus ligation and phenylbutazone, aspirin and reserpine induced gastric ulcers, also possesses the potential of protecting the gastric mucosal barrier. The restraint-aspirin model described in this study is simple as compared to other models of stress induced ulceration, moreover, it also implicates the damage of gastric mucosal barrier and thus it can be used for screening the gastric anti-ulcer activity of drugs providing more useful information.