Gastroprotective Effect of Gnetum africanum Ethanolic Extract on Acetic acid induced Peptic Ulcer on Adult Wistar Rats

Peptic ulcer disease also known as stomach ulcer is a break in the lining of the stomach, first part of the small< intestine or occasionally the lower esophagus. Twenty five Wistar rats of both sexes weighing between 180-250 grams< were purchased, housed in metallic cages and maintained under standard environmental conditions at 27 ± 0.13°C at< 12 hr light/dark cycle and relative humidity of 29 ± 0.22%. They were allowed to acclimatize for one week (7 days)< and were fed on standard rodent diet and have free access to drinking water. However, they were divided into five< groups of five rats per group, labeled A to E. Group A: served as Normal control and received normal feed and< distilled water ad libitium Group B: induced with ulcer and left untreated) Groups C, D and E were induced with< ulcer and treated with 20 mg/kg Omeprazole 200 mg/kg GALE extract, 400 mg/kg dose of GALE extract< respectively. Hence, pretreatment with the extracts showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in pH value coupled with< significant decrease in gastric volume when compared with the ulcerated untreated group. Also from Table 3 below, it< was shown that normal control group (A) showed a 100% protection as no ulcer was inducted into the group. Among< the groups induced with ulcerations, the group that received 20 mg/kg omeprazole as standard drug had the best< protection against ulceration followed by group D (400 mg/kg bw of GALE) while group C (200 mg/kg GALE) had a< 50% protection against severe ulceration. GALE has been observed to possess phytonutrients with excellent< antioxidant properties that play significant role in the management of ulceration or other toxicity related disorders.< Treatment with Gnetum africanum leaf extract significantly reduced these parameters. In fact, the effect elicited by the< extracts compared favorably with both normal control and the omeprazole treated groups.