Evaluation of the antiulcer activity of ethanolic extract and solvent fractions of Calendula tripterocarpa Rupr. in experimental rats and their DART-ToF-MS profiling

Abstract

In this study, antiulcer activity of ethanolic extract and solvent fractions of the aerial part of Calendula tripterocarpa was investigated using ethanol-induced model of gastric ulceration in rats. The results showed that ethyl acetate, non-polar components and diethyl ether fractions have a remarkable antiulcerogenic activity; because they exhibited control-ulcer protection by 85.2%, 77.7% and 62.9%, respectively. The acute toxicity study showed that the extract is highly safe; the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) was more than 5000 mg/kg. Moreover, the obtained results were confirmed by the sub-chronic toxicity and showed no alteration in the liver and kidney functions. Our data suggests that C. tripterocarpa possesses significant antiulcer activity and it can be used as a source for an antiulcer drug. Around 100 compounds are elucidated from this plant using direct analysis in real-time of flight-mass spectrometry for the first time, of which four well-known compounds were not isolated or reported previously.

Keywords: Antiulcer activity; Calendula tripterocarpa; DART-ToF-MS; ethanol-induced ulcer; liver and kidney functions; peptic ulcer.