CYTOPROTECTION BY Baccharis polifolia ON DIETHILDITHIOCARBAMATE-INDUCED GASTRIC ULCERS AND CHRONIC ULCERS IN RATS

PERALTA CECILIA; VILLEGAS GABUTTI CARLOS; GARCÍA EDUARDO; NIETO MATÍAS; MARÍA ALEJANDRA; PELZER LILIAN

Villa de Merlo (San Luis)

Congreso; XXII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2004

Baccharis polifolia Griseb is used in folk medicine for gastrointestinal disorders. This work evaluated the effect of B. polifolia on diethylditiocarbamate-induced antral ulcers in rats. Twenty four h before the experiments, Wistar rats were fasted. The pylorus was ligated. Diethyldithiocarbamate (800 mg/kg) was given sc and 1 ml oral dose of 0,1 N HCl was then given. The rats were killed 5 h later. The ulcer index was expressed as the area of the antral ulcer (mm2). B. polifolia ethanolic extract (250 mg/kg) prevents the formation of gastric mucosal lesion p<0,001 vs. control). Induction of chronic gastric lesions was studied according to the methods of Takegi et al. (1969) and Albelda et al (1973) employing acetic acid as ulcerogenic agent. A solution of acetic acid was injected below the gastric serosa of the rats. Animals were administered orally B. polifolia extract (250 mg/kg, 1 ml) during 3 days. On the 7th day after acetic acid injection, animals were killed. The ulceration grade was determined by area (mm2). Oral administration of B. polifolia extract decreased the ulceration size (p<0.01 vs control). The experimental results demonstrate that B. polifolia protects the gastric mucosa against lesions induced by dithyldithiocarbamate and acetic acid. These facts support the use of B. polifolia to treat digestive disorders in traditional medicine.