Gastroprotective effect of tannin from Schwenkia americana against aspirin-induced gastric ulcer.

Background: Gastric ulcer disease is an important health concern, and aspirin is a major cause of gastric damage. Aim: To evaluate the gastroprotective effect of tannin from Schwenkia americana in aspirin-induced gastric ulcer. Methods: The gastroprotective effect of tannin from Schwenkia americana was investigated on animal model. Rats were pretreated with different doses of crude tannin from Schwenkia americana and pre-treated with omeprazole orally for seven days. At the end of pre-treatment, all animals were fasted for 24 hours before administration of single dose of aspirin (800mg/kg body weight) except the normal control. Results: Aspirin induced gastric damage. Pretreatment with different doses of tannin and omeprazole prevented gastric injury. Rat pretreated with different doses of tannin and omeprazole orally for seven days before administration of single dose of aspirin showed significantly improved preservation of antioxidant enzymes. There was significant decrease in the activities of antioxidant enzymes in group II compared with rat pretreated with different doses of tannin. The increased in the antioxidant enzymes was dose-dependent. Severity of ulcer, number of ulcers and ulcer index decreased with increased dose of tannin. Conclusion: The results suggest that tannin from Schwenkia americana possesses significant anti-ulcer effects. This is possibly due to its ability to increase antioxidant activities of the gastric tissue and decreased MDA level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]