Context: Cleome viscosa Linn. (Capparidaceae) is used traditionally in the Indian system of medicine as a carminative, anthelmintic, and diuretic, and used for healing wounds, ulcers and diarrhea.
Objective: A 70% ethanol (EtOH) extract of the aerial parts of Cleome viscosa extract (CVE) was investigated for gastroprotective activity in different gastric ulcer models in order to validate ethnobotanical claims regarding the plant use in ulcers.
Materials and methods: CVE (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally, twice daily for 5 d, for prevention from EtOH, pylorus ligation (PL) and cold restraint stress (CRS)-induced ulcers in rats. Estimation of H(+)K(+)ATPase activity and gastric wall mucous were performed in EtOH-induced ulcer, antioxidant enzyme activities in supernatant mitochondrial fraction of CRS-induced ulcer, and gastric secretion parameters were estimated in PL-induced ulcer model.
Results: CVE showed significant (p < 0.01) dose-dependent inhibition of lesion index in EtOH 15.93-42.30%, PL 26.34-59.28% and CRS 22.58-54.03%, respectively. CVE prevents the oxidative damage of gastric mucosa by blocking lipid peroxidation and by a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in superoxide dismutase, and an increase in catalase activity. A significant (p < 0.01) decrease occurred in the level of H(+)K(+)ATPase, volume of gastric juice and total acidity. Simultaneously, the level of gastric wall mucus and pH were increased significantly (p < 0.05). High performance thin layer chromatography analysis showed the presence of quercetin and gallic acid (0.3% and 0.25% w/w, respectively) in CVE.
Conclusions: Results of our study showed that C. viscosa possesses significant gastroprotective activity, probably due to free radical scavenging activity, and validates the folklore claim.