Antiulcerogenic activity of Scutia buxifolia on gastric ulcers induced by ethanol in rats

Abstract

Gastric ulcers affect many people around the world and their development is a result of the imbalance between aggressive and protective factors in the gastric mucosa. Scutia buxifolia, commonly known as coronilha, has attracted the interest of the scientific community due to its pharmacological properties and its potential therapeutic applications. In this study, the preventive effects of the crude extract of Scutia buxifolia (ceSb) against gastric ulcer induced by 70% ethanol were evaluated in male Wistar rats. In addition, the composition of ceSb was clarified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). S. buxifolia extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) attenuated oxidative and histopathological features induced by ethanol. Moreover, all evaluated doses of ceSb caused significant (P<0.001 and P<0.0001) and dose-dependent increase in sulfhydryl groups (NPSH) levels, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. Furthermore, the administration of ceSb reversed the increase in lipid peroxidation produced by ethanol. The protective effect of the extract could be attributed to antioxidant compounds present in the ceSb, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, which were quantified by HPLC. Thus, an antioxidant effect of the extract leads to a protection on gastric tissue. These results indicate that S. buxifolia could have a beneficial role against ethanol toxicity by preventing oxidative stress and gastric tissue injury.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Gastric ulcer; HPLC; Scutia buxifolia.

Graphical abstract

Figure 1

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatogram of Scutia buxifolia crude extract. Gallic acid (peak 1), chlorogenic acid (peak 2), caffeic acid (peak 3), rutin (peak 4), quercetin (peak 5) and kaempferol (peak 6).

Figure 2

Demonstrative images of stomachs from all experimental groups. Observe images from control group (A), ethanol group (B) omeprazole control group (C), omeprazole+ethanol group (D), 100 mg/kg ceSb control group (E), 100 mg/kg ceSb+ethanol group (F), 200 mg/kg ceSb control group (G), 200 mg/kg ceSb+ethanol group (H), 400 mg/kg ceSb control group (I) and 400 mg/kg ceSb+ethanol group (J).

Figure 3

Color (A), petechiae (B), edema (C), hemorrhage (D) and mucus loss (E) indexes (magnification of 10×) of stomach from rats treated with ethanol and/or omeprazole or Scutia buxifolia extract. Data are means+SD (n=6). Significant difference when compared to water control group (^*P<0.01); significant difference when compared to ethanol control group (^#P<0.01, ^##P<0.001).

Figure 4

Representative histology (magnification of 100×; A–J) and histopathological damage score of gastric tissue from animals treated with ethanol and/or Scutia buxifolia extracts (L). Control group (A), ethanol group (B), omeprazole control group (C), omeprazole+ethanol group (D), 100 mg/kg ceSb control group (E), 100 mg/kg ceSb+ethanol group (F), 200 mg/kg ceSb control group (G), 200 mg/kg ceSb+ethanol group (H), 400 mg/kg ceSb control group (I) and 400 mg/kg ceSb+ethanol group (J). In panel L, the score 0 indicates absence of negative features (edema, erosion, ulceration and necrosis) while score 3 indicates severe negative features. Data are means±SD (n=5–6). Significant difference when compared to water control group (^*P<0.01); significant difference when compared to ethanol control group (^#P<0.001).

Figure 5

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances – TBARS (A), sulfhydryl groups – NPSH (B), CAT activity (C) and SOD activity (D) levels of gastric tissue from rats treated with ethanol and/or omeprazole or Scutia buxifolia extract. Data are means±SEM (n=5–9). Significant difference when compared to water control group (^*P<0.01; ^**P<0.001). Significant difference when compared to ethanol control group (^#P<0.01, ^##P<0.001).