STUDY OF THE ANTI-ULCER ACTIVITY OF <i>ELAEAGNUS ANGUSTIFOLIA</i> FRUIT EXTRACT
Currently, there is an urgent problem of finding new treatments for peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum. Taking into account pathogenetic mechanisms of development of this disease, medicinal preparations should provide restoration of mucous barrier, increase of protective properties of mucous membrane, and also anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial action. Medicinal plants that are traditionally used in both folk and official medicine have the above properties. One such plant is Elaeagnus angustifolia L. , a family of Elaeagnaceae , whose various parts are used as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative and astringent. This article presents the results on the study of antiulcer activity of Elaeagnus angustifolia fruit extract. The studies were carried out on non-linear male rats weighing 210-230 g (60 individuals). A model of «aspirin» ulcer was formed by twice daily intragastric administration of acetylsalicylic acid at a dose of 150 mg/kg. The animals received no food prior to aspirin administration. The rats were divided into groups: control I - intact animals receiving intragastrically purified water in a volume of 2 ml; control II - animals with simulated peptic ulcer not treated; experiment 1 - rats receiving intragastrically a liquid extract of Elaeagnus angustifolia fruits in a dose of 50 mg/kg diluted in purified water to a volume of 2 ml for 7 days before simulating the ulcerous defect and for 14 days after; experience 2 - animals receiving intragastric liquid extract of Elaeagnus angustifolia fruits at the same dose after modeling the ulcerous defect for 14 days; experience 3 and experience 4 groups of animals received a reference drug, Plantaglucid, at a dose of 500 mg/kg as a treatment. After 14 days from the beginning of the experiment, the animals were removed and the Pauls index for each type of structural changes in the gastric mucosa and the coefficient of antiulcer activity (CPA) were calculated to evaluate the pathological changes. The simulation of an «aspirin» ulcer contributed to the formation of dystrophic changes in the gastric mucosa of laboratory animals. There were hemorrhages with different types of ulceration, which were divided into three groups: pitting (d = less than 1 mm), large (d = 2,5 mm or more) and streaky ulcers. Thus, the results of the study of the antiulcer activity showed a pronounced gastroprotective and regenerative effect of Elaeagnus angustifolia fruit extract, which was accompanied by a decrease in the Pauls index for all pathological changes in the gastric mucosa and an increase in the antiulcer coefficient. The results obtained testify to the presence of gastroprotective and regenerative action of the liquid extract of fruits of Elaeagnus angustifolia , which is confirmed by a significant reduction of the Pauls index for all structural changes of the stomach mucosa and an increase of the antiulcer activity coefficient, with the most significant changes being observed in the group of animals, which received the studied agent after modeling a gastric ulcer process. The mechanism of anti-ulcer effects of the liquid extract of fruits of Elaeagnus angustifolia is probably due to its surface-active properties, coating action, formation of a protective film on the surface of ulcers, as well as stimulation of regeneration of the gastric mucosa [10]. It was also found that gastroprotective effects may be due to the flavonoids contained in the chemical composition of the studied plant, which induce protective mechanisms of the gastric mucosa, namely mucus secretion and regeneration processes.