Does the African garden egg offer protection against experimentally induced ulcers?

摘要

Objective:To evaluate the possible antiulcer effect of the African garden egg,Solanum aethiopicum (S. aethiopicum)(a domestic vegetable) experimentally in rats.Methods:A methanol extract of the plant fruit was prepared by maceration. Twenty five overnight fasted rats for each model were divided randomly into five groups of five rats. Groups1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 received normal saline, extract dose levels of100, 200 and400 mg/kg and100 mg/kg of ranitidine respectively. All administrations were given orally. For the indomethacin and aspirin models, ulcerogenic agents (indomethacin, 50mg/kg and aspirin200 mg/kg) were given thirty minutes after extract treatments and animals sacrificed8 h later. The acidified ethanol model (ethanol 60% + 0.1 mol/L HCl) was given 1hr after extract treatment and animals sacrificed 1 h later. Ulcer index was checked and analysed with appropriate statistical tools.Results:Extract ofS. aethiopicumshowed positive effect on all the models used. It produced higher ulcer inhibition than ranitidine in the indomethacin and acid-ethanol models. All the anti-ulcer effects of the extract at different doses were dose dependent but only in indomethacin model did it produce statistically significant(P<0.05) ulcer reduction in all doses compared to control.Conclusions:Garden egg, a readily cultivated crop vegetable possesses ulcer protective properties against ulcers induced experimentally making it a cheap source of natural anti-ulcer remedy.