Mwanasiti Mwakumanya

ABSTRACT

Peptic ulcer is an acid-peptic disease characterized by the erosion of the mucosa protective barrier that causes morbidity in persons of all ages. It is considered to be among the most common diseases of the 21st Century with an incidence rate of 0.1–0.3% per year. Besides the cost of managing the disease, peptic ulcer recurrence, drug interaction, adverse effects associated with prolonged use of conventional antiulcer drugs as well as antibiotic resistance of H. pylori, there is need for more research in the identification of new effective, inexpensive, safe for long term use strategies to combat this disease. Currently, many medicinal plants and their isolated constituents are being studied for their gastroprotective and antiulcerogenic potential in order to develop complementary treatments to alleviate the severity of ulcerative diseases. Members of the genus Erythrina have been traditionally used in the treatment of various ailments such as inflammation and gastrointestinal disorders. Erythrinasacleuxiiis a stiffly multibranched deciduous tree widespread in the Kenyan and Tanzanian coastal region. Traditionally, Erythrina sacleuxii has been utilized in the management of peptic ulcer disease in humans however, its gastroprotective effects and toxicity have not been determined experimentally. This study investigated the in vivo anti-ulcer activity of Erythrina sacleuxii root extract (ESRE) on induced gastric ulcer in male Wistar albino rats. Phytochemical analysis of ESRE was done using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer. Acute and sub-acute toxicity assay were used to evaluate the safety profile of the plant extract. To determine the gastroprotective and ulcer healing activity of ESRE, ethanol-induced gastric-ulcer model in rats was used. The possible mechanism of action of ESRE was determined through the examination of oxidative stress markers (SOD, CAT, MDA, GSH) and inflammatory markers (TNF-a,and NF-Kb). The results of FT-IR analysis recorded 12 dominant peaks while GC-MS analysis revealed presence of 17 bioactive phytochemicals mainly terpenoids (e.g. 6-epi-shyobunol) and phenols (e.g. Glycerin) having confirmed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. No toxic effect, organ toxicity or death was recorded in acute toxicity assay. Similarly, in the subacute toxicity investigation, rats’ behavior, gross pathology, hematological, biochemistry parameters and histopathology of liver and kidney showed no significant (p<0.05) changes. These results demonstrated that ESRE has no severe effects in both acute and subacute study. The pre-treatment with ESRE resulted in a significant (p<0.05) reduction in gastric lesions. These effects could be partially mediated by the potent antioxidant activity of ESRE. ESRE counteracted the ethanol induced oxidative stress by increasing the levels of depleted GSH, SOD and CAT as well as significantly attenuating the ethanol-induced lipid peroxidation tissue levels. Post treatment with ESRE resulted to significant healing of ulcer induced by ethanol administration as evidence by the significant reduction in the ulcer index in the treatment groups. These antioxidant effects, along with the protection of the stomach mucosa and ulcer healing effects imply that ESRE may be a viable preventative and therapeutic agent in the treatment and management of gastric ulcers.

KEY WORDS: Erythrinasacleuxii, Gastro-protection, Ulcer-healing, Antioxidant, Antacids