A Review on Antiulcer Activity of Few Indian Medicinal Plants

Ulcer is a common gastrointestinal disorder which is seen among many people. It is basically an inflamed break in the skin or the mucus membrane lining the alimentary tract. Ulceration occurs when there is a disturbance of the normal equilibrium caused by either enhanced aggression or diminished mucosal resistance. It may be due to the regular usage of drugs, irregular food habits, stress, and so forth. Peptic ulcers are a broad term that includes ulcers of digestive tract in the stomach or the duodenum. The formation of peptic ulcers depends on the presence of acid and peptic activity in gastric juice plus a breakdown in mucosal defenses. A number of synthetic drugs are available to treat ulcers. But these drugs are expensive and are likely to produce more side effects when compared to herbal medicines. The literature revealed that many medicinal plants and polyherbal formulations are used for the treatment of ulcer by various ayurvedic doctors and traditional medicinal practitioners. The ideal aims of treatment of peptic ulcer disease are to relieve pain, heal the ulcer, and delay ulcer recurrence. In this review attempts have been made to know about some medicinal plants which may be used in ayurvedic as well as modern science for the treatment or prevention of peptic ulcer

IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY, HIGH-PERFORMANCE THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY, AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF ETHANOLIC SEED EXTRACT OF FICUS BENGHALENSIS LINN

Objective: In the traditional medicine, Ficus benghalensis is used for the treatment of ulcer, diabetes, inflammation, liver disorders, urinary disorders, vomiting, vaginal complains, and fever and as a bitter tonic. However, despite its traditional usage as an antimicrobial agent, there is no information regarding its effectiveness in infections caused by pathogenic microbes. Hence, we evaluated the ethanolic extract of the seeds of F. benghalensis for its antimicrobial activity.Methods: The antimicrobial activity of the extract at five different concentrations was tested against few common human pathogenic microorganisms by agar disc diffusion assay. Streptomycin (10 μg/ml) and Amphotericin B (10 μg/ml) were used as standards for antibacterial and antifungal studies, respectively. Few phenolic compounds were identified by standard high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques.Results: The zone of inhibition was extremely great for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19 mm), Enterococcus faecalis (18 mm), and Aspergillus niger (13 mm). Moreover, through HPTLC analysis, few phenolic compounds such as quercetin (Rf value - 0.54), gallic acid (Rf value - 0.45), and tannic acid (Rf value - 0.45) were identified. A total of seven compounds were identified in the extract using GC-MS analysis.Conclusions: The results, therefore, clearly indicate that the crude extract from F. benghalensis seeds could be used as a potential source of natural antimicrobial agent due to the presence of the phytoconstituent quercetin, gallic acid, and tannic acid in abundance along with other active compounds and support the traditional use of the plant in the treatment of infections

Pharmacological evaluation of ethanol extract of <em>Ficus benghalensis</em> seeds for antiulcer and antimicrobial efficacy

329-334The alcoholic extract of the seeds of the plant Ficus benghalensis L. has been screened for acute toxicity, gastroprotective effect, antimicrobial efficacy, antioxidant potential and HPTLC analysis.Toxicity study was performed according to the OECD test guidelines and the antiulcer assay was performed using ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model in albino rats. The antimicrobial activity and HPTLC analysis were also performed. The seed extract did not show any sign of toxicity upto dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight. Reductions in the ulcer index and gastric acid volume with increase in the pH of the gastric fluid in extract treated rats proved antiulcer activity. Increased levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase with a decrease in lipid peroxidation in the extract treated animals demonstrated its antioxidant effect. The zone of inhibition was significant in all the tested microorganisms. HPTLC chromatogram showed a total of 9 peaks at different Rf values and peak area at 366 nm whereas seven peaks were observed at 254 nm. The number of peaks indicates the presence of constituents in the extract. Pre-treatment with F. benghalensis seed extract showed appreciable antiulcer activity that might be attributed to its antioxidant potential. The extract also showed approciable activity against the bacteria and fungi tested. The extract containing phytoconstituents must have contributed to this property

Pharmacological evaluations of ethanol extract of Ficus benghalensis L. seeds for its antiulcer and antimicrobial efficacy

To evaluate the gastroprotective effect and antimicrobial efficacy of the seeds of Ficus benghalensis L. Acute oral toxicity study was performed according to the OECD test guidelines and the antiulcer assay was performed using ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model in albino rats. The antimicrobial activity and HPTLC analysis were also performed. The seed extract did not show any sign of toxicity at a dose of 4000 mg/kg body weight. Reductions in the ulcer index and gastric acid volume with increase in the pH of the gastric fluid in extract treated rats proved antiulcer activity. Increased levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase with a decrease in lipid peroxidation in the extract treated animals demonstrated its antioxidant effect. The zone of inhibition was extremely great for all the tested microorganisms. HPTLC chromatogram showed a total of 9 peaks at different Rf values and peak area at 366 nm whereas seven peaks were observed at 254 nm. The number of peaks indicates the presence of constituents in the extract. Pre-treatment with F. benghalensis seed extract showed significant antiulcer activity that might be attributed to its antioxidant potential. F. benghalensis showed significant activity against bacteria and fungi. The extract containing phytoconstituents must have contributed to its antimicrobial activity