Gastroprotective Activity of Asystasia gangetica Stem Aqueous Extract Against Pylorus Ligated Gastric Ulcer in Rats

Background: Asystasia gangetica, a medicinal plant commonly known as Maithal Kadi available in Udupi district in India. It is used as a fresh juice to treat gastric ulcers, rheumatism, inflammation, swelling by the folklore practitioners. The present studies were aimed to investigate the antiulcer activity of aqueous extract of Asystasia gangetica stem to provide scientific validation for its folklore use. Materials and Methods: Healthy Wistar albino rats were divided into three different groups of six rats each. The rats were pre-treated with group specific drugs. Group I assigned as control, group II received the standard drug omepra-zole 20 mg/kg, group III received aqueous extract of stem of the plant Asystasia gangetica 400 mg/kg once daily for seven consecutive days. On seventh day, one hour after drug administration, the gastric ulcer was induced by ligation of the pyloric part of the rat’s stomach. This was followed by the macroscopic examination of the stomach, quantifica-tion of gastric juice, total and free acidity, peptic activity and histological examination of stomach tissue were performed. The test extract were subjected for preliminary phytochemical analysis as per standard methodology. Results: The test drug treated group showed that there is a significant reduction in the total acidity and marked reduction in ulcer index, the volume of gastric juice and the effect was comparable with that of omeprazole. Histologi-cal examination revealed a normal cytoarchitecture with reduced gastric lesions in group III compared to group I. Conclusion: The present finding suggests that Asystasia gangetica promotes ulcer protection as ascertained by the comparative decreases in total acidity, gastric lesions and peptic activity.