Gastroprotective effects of Chromolaena odorata against cold restraint stress-induced gastric ulcers in mice

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.King & H.Rob against gastric ulcers during cold restraint stress. Mice were orally pretreated for 7 days with the 96% ethanol extract of Chromolaena odorata (0,72 g/kg) or omeprazole (20 mg/kg) on the 7th day. A restraint stress-induced gastric ulcer model was applied to induce ulcers after 7 days of pretreatment. The mice were restrained and maintained at 8-10 °C for 2 h. The results showed that pretreatment with 96% ethanol extract of Chromolaena odorata led to a reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increased glutathione (GSH) levels in the mouse’s stomach (p<0,05). Besides, evaluation of anatomical and histopathological structures of the stomach also indicated that pretreatment with Chromolaena odorata extracts supported to prevent gastric damage and reduced inflammation induced by stress, such above effects were similar to a reference drug omeprazole. Therefore, Chromolaena odorata extracts have the potential to be suitable drug design candidates for the therapeutic management of gastric ulcers.