Antiulcer activity of Utleria salicifolia rhizome extract.

The effect of 50% ethanolic extract of Utleria salicifolia (USE) was assessed in different acute and chronic gastric ulcer models in rats. USE, 50-200 mg/kg administered orally, twice daily for 5 days showed dose-dependent ulcer protective effect in pylorus ligation (14.48-51.03% protection, P < 0.5 to P < 0.01), aspirin (28.80-56.52% protection, P < 0.5 to P < 0.001), ethanol (13.22-60.74% protection, P < 0.5 to P < 0.001), cold-restraint stress (21.22-77.14% protection, P < 0.05 to P < 0.001), and acetic acid (20.0-84.37% protection, P < 0.5 to P < 0.001)-induced acute and chronic ulcers. USE also significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the ulcer incidence (50 and 10%) and severity (67.83 and 91.34% protection) of duodenal ulcer, induced by cysteamine. Besides USE offered protection (53.52 and 60.58%) against ethanol-induced depletion of gastric wall mucus. However, USE reduced the ulcer index with significant decrease in plasma corticosterone (25.53 and 39.52% protection, P < 0.1 and P < 0.05), lipid peroxidation (18.75 and 47.92% protection, P < 0.01 and P < 0.001), superoxide dismutase (15.80 and 26.61% protection, P < 0.05 and P < 0.001) and increased in catalase (28.42 and 71.0% protection, P < 0.05 and P < 0.001) activity, respectively. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the USE gave the positive test for steroids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins and tannins. The HPTLC studies in the toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid and the densitometric scanning at 254 nm gave three major spots with area corresponding to 28.16, 17.17, and 13.79% at 0.69, 0.78, and 0.88 R(f) values, respectively. The results indicate that USE possesses antiulcer activity.