Improved gastric lesion of ulcerogenic mice treated with bark extracts and fractions of Newbouldia laevis

Abstract

Newbouldia laevis is used in Nigerian traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including gastric ulcer. The present study was undertaken to validate the anti-ulcer potential of N. laevisstem bark. The plant was extracted using ethanol and fractionated using N-hexane, ethyl acetate and water. Phytochemical evaluation of the extract and fractions of the plant was done using standard procedures. The anti-ulcer property of the crude extract and fractions of the plant was investigated against ethanol induced gastric ulcer in white albino rats using Cimetidine (100 mg/kg) as the standard control. Primary screening of the crude ethanol extract of N. laevisstem bark against Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was determined using the agar well diffusion method. Also, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extract on the test organisms were determined using the agar dilution method. The result showed that the crude extract and fractions of the plant significantly (P < 0.001) produced protection in the ethanol- induced ulceration and reduced the ulcer index when compared to the control. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the crude extract and fractions revealed the presence of steroid, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins terpenoids, and tannins while alkaloids were absent. At the concentrations analyzed (15.625 to 500 mg/ml), the inhibition zone diameters (IZDs) produced by the crude ethanol extract against test isolates ranged from 0 to 14 mm. Also, the MICs of the plant extracts on test organisms ranged from 6.25 to 25 mg/ml. The extract recorded best antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae followed by S. typhi. In conclusion, the present study provided preliminary data that the extract and fractions of N. laevis possesses significant anti-ulcer activity in animal models. The gastric anti-secretory and acid neutralizing effect of the plant plus its antibacterial activity reveals the anti-ulcer potential of the plant.