Gastric antisecretory and antiulcer activities of Decalepis arayalpathra

Decalepis arayalpathra Joseph & Chandrasekharan (Periplocaceae) is locally called "amrithapala." The Kani tribe of the Trivandrum district of Kerala uses the tuberous roots of this plant to treat peptic ulcers. In the current study, the ethanol extract of D. arayalpathra roots significantly decreased the pepsin secretion at a dose of 250 mg/kg and the gastric juice volume and acid output at a dose of 500 mg/kg in pylorus ligated rats. Pretreatment with D. arayalpathra extract (500 mg/kg, p.o.) provided significant protection against the peptic ulcerogenic effect of ethanol administered individually or in combination with indomethacin or hydrochloric acid. Our studies also revealed that preitreatment with D. arayalpathra significantly decreased malondialdehyde levels and increased gastric wall mucus production and the protein concentration of the stomach wall of ethanol-treated rats at a dose of 500 mg/kg. The gastroprotective effect of D. arayalpathra observed in the current study may be attributed to its effect on stimulating protein concentration and mucus production of the stomach wall. In addition to its gastric antisecretory activity, D. arayalpathra exerts a cytoprotective effect, which could be partly due to the presence of antioxidant phytocompounds like flavonoids.