In Vitro and In Vivo Study of Argyreia speciosa on Chronic Gastric Ulceration and Metabolic Studies

Chronic gastric ulcer being the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorder is considered a major cause of gastric cancer. Large numbers of synthetic drugs ranging from proton-pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonist to cytoprotective agents are available, but they have major side effects. Inadequacy of these synthetic drugs forces to develop new herbal-based drugs active against chronic gastric ulcer. In the present study, antiulcer activity of butanolic extract of Argyreia speciosa Linn. f., Sweet: Family Convolvulaceae (b-ASL) was investigated against acetic-acid-induced chronic gastric ulcer rat models. The effect of different dose of butanolic extract of A. speciosa was studied for antioxidant, anti-secretory, and cytoprotective activities. Extract administration significantly increased the gastric PGE2 content. The further experiments including the in vitro metabolic stability and in vivo pharmacokinetics gave a clear indication that butanolic extract of A. speciosa (200 mg/kg) is an orally active and safe contender of antiulcer agents. It can be an important target for further studies under chronic ulcer management system.