Evaluation of Gastroprotective Potential of the Ethanol Extract From Murdannia loriformis in rats

Summary. Murdannia loriformis (ML) has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The objective of this study was to examine gastroprotective activity of ethanol extract of ML. For the gastroprotective study, rats received ML extract (100-400 mg/kg) via oral route before induction of gastric ulcer using three different inducer models; EtOH/HCl, indomethacin, and restraint water immersion stress. ML extract significantly inhibited gastric ulcer formation induced by EtOH/HCl ( p <0.001), indomethacin ( p <0.01) and stress ( p <0.001). Like misoprostol, ML extract, increased the amount of mucus content in gastric wall mucus assay ( p <0.001). Moreover, the extract was equivalent to cimetidine for reducing gastric acid secretion in pylorus ligation model ( p <0.05). Therefore, all of these results indicated that ML extract possessed an effective gastroprotective effect via promoting mucus production and inhibiting gastric acid secretion. Industrial relevance. In recent years, Thai government has had a policy for medicinal plant research and development in order to support the alternative health care. M. loriformis has long been used to treat a broad spectrum of disorders. The ethanol extract of this plant has already been proved to possess anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities in rats without ulcerogenic effect. This research aims to investigate the gastroprotective activity of the ethanol extract of ML. The results from this study might give useful information in supporting one of its folklore uses. Keywords. Murdannia loriformis ; ethanol extract; gastroprotective activity; gastric ulcer; rat models