Gastroprotective Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Aloe buettneri
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Date
2011-01-31
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Brieflands
Abstract
Aloe buettneri A. Berger is commonly used in traditional Togolese medicine to treat inflammatory and gastric ulcers. The present study examined the gastro-protection effect of the hydro-alcoholic extract of A. buettneri on mucus production and gastric pH. A gastric ulcer is induced by ethanol 95° alone (1 mL/kg body weight), after pre-treatment with indomethacin (300 mg/kg) or by utilising L-NAME (40 mg/kg IV). In addition gastric mucus was removed by scraping and subsequently weighed. The experiment focused entirely on rats that had been subjected to fasting. The hydro-alcoholic extract of A. buettneri (500 mg/kg) significantly inhibited ulcers that were induced by ethanol, indomethacin or L-NAME pre-treatment. A. buettneri was shown to increase the production of gastric mucus. Furthermore L-arginine significantly decreased the size of the induced ulcers. The results achieved in the study carried out suggest that A. buettneri posses gastro-protective properties.