In vitro true root cultures of Lotus hebranicus Hochst. ex brand: profiling of secondary metabolites and plausible in vivo gastroprotective effect

In vitro, the Lotus hebranicus produces true root cultures under entirely growth regulator-free culture conditions. These roots are completely independent of the shoots and gives abundant amounts of biomass of true root culture as raw materials in a short time. Lately, gastric ulcer have gained an increasing interest as it affects millions around the world. So, this study aimed to screen and evaluate the chemical constituents of the L. hebranicus extract (plant and true root culture), in addition to studying the biological effect of these extracts on mice with ethanol-induced gastric ulcer and the possible role of mediating oxidative stress, inflammation and TGFβ/Smad3 as underlying mechanisms. Fifty-four Albino mice were assigned into nine groups (n = 6). Lotus was orally administered for seven successive days, followed by a single dose of oral ethanol for ulcer induction. Using histological assessment and immunohistochemical studies as well as colorimetric analysis, ELISA and qRT-PCR, the results revealed that ethanol-induced ulcers exhibited a substantial increase ( p