EVALUATION OF ANTIULCER ACTIVITY OF LAGENARIA SICERARIA IN EXPERIMENTAL RAT MODELS

Peptic ulcer is the most common gastrointestinal disorder that world faces at present. Lagenaria siceraria is one of the folk plants used by the people to treat various ailments to attain health benefits. Every part of the plant has various activities which can eradicate maximum health issues. The present study is aimed to investigate the gastro-protective and anti-ulcerogenic activity of ethanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria. The ethanolic extract was tested orally in doses of 200 mg/kg and 400mg/kg which was obtained from the acute oral toxicity studies on gastric ulcerations experimentally induced by pylorus ligation and ethanol in rats. Comparison of the drug effect is done with the effect of standard drugs, omeprazole (30 mg/kg) and sucralfate (100 mg/kg). The parameters like gastric pH, gastric acid volume, total acidity, free acidity and ulcer index are assessed. The ethanolic extract showed an activity in a dose of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg with a reduction in the gastric volume, total acidity, free acidity, ulcer index and raise in the gastric pH when compared to that of ulcer control group. A gastro-protective and anti-ulcerogenic activity is shown by the extract of Lagenaria siceraria both in ethanol induced ulcer model and pylorus ligated ulcer model. At the concluding point, extract of Lagenaria siceraria was found to possess a very good gastroprotective and anti-ulcerogenic property. The results of the study revealed the further uses of the leaves of this plant in the treatment of ulcers in the stomach. Keywords Lagenaria siceraria, antisecretory, cytoprotective, gastric ulcer, ethanol induced ulcers and pylorus ligation induced ulcers.