In this investigation three bioactive compounds, responsible for the gastroprotective property of Amphipterygium adstringens, were purified from an active dichloromethane fraction. These compounds were 3α-hydroxymasticadienonic acid, β-sitosterol and 3-epi-oleanolic acid. The latter was the most active compound (88.8 % of gastroprotection) followed by 3α-hydroxymasticadienoic acid and β-sitosterol (69.8 and 42.5 % of gastroprotection, respectively). Carbenoxolone was used as positive control and it showed 88.4 % of gastroprotection. Masticadienonic acid was also isolated from the active fraction, but it was unable to inhibit the ethanol-induced gastric lesions. The gastroprotection of the methanol extract was completely inhibited by the pretreatment with l-NAME and attenuated by pretreatment with indomethacin and N-ethylmaleimide. These results suggest that endogenous nitric oxide plays an important role in the gastroprotection of A. adstringens methanol extract on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions and that there is partial participation by prostaglandins and endogenous sulfhydryls. The effect of 3α-hydroxymasticadienonic acid was attenuated only by pretreatment with N-ethylmaleimide, indicating that endogenous sulfhydryls (thiols) participate in its gastroprotective mechanism. Capsaicin-sensitive afferent neurons do not participate in the gastroprotection of either the methanol extract or 3α-hydroxymasticadienoic acid.

This investigation evaluated the gastroprotective activity of Astragaloside IV, a cycloartane-type triterpene glycoside isolated from Astragalus zahlbruckneri. Gastric mucosal damage was induced in rats by intragastric ethanol (1 mL/rat). Rats treated orally with Astragaloside IV suspended in Tween 80 at 3, 10 and 30 mg kg−1, showed 15, 37 and 52% gastroprotection, respectively. The gastroprotection observed at 30 mg kg−1 for this compound was attenuated in rats pretreated with NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (70 mg kg−1, i.p), a nitric oxide (NO)-synthase inhibitor, suggesting that the gastroprotective mechanism of this glycoside involves, at least in part, the participation of NO. The gastroprotective effect of Astragaloside IV was not affected by the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis with indometacin (10 mg kg−1, s.c.) nor by the block of endogenous sulfhydryls with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM, 10 mg kg−1, s.c.). Carbenoxolone was used as a gastroprotective model drug and showed a dose-dependent gastroprotective effect (25, 43 and 88% of gastroprotection, at 3, 10 and 30 mg kg−1, respectively). The partial participation of prostaglandins, sulfhydryls and NO was observed in the gastroprotective mechanism of carbenoxolone.

Tithonia diversifolia is a medicinal plant from the Municipality of Suchiapa, Chiapas, Mexico, that according to local folk medicine is considered useful in the treatment of gastric ulcers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the gastroprotective activity of T. diversifolia by using an ethanol-induced gastric ulcer experimental model in male Wistar rats. The results showed that T. diversifolia had gastroprotective activity, and that the dichloromethane extract had the highest protective activity (close to 90% when using doses between 10 to 100 mg/kg), and that further the compound tagitinin C isolated from this extract was the main active gastroprotective agent. Rats treated with tagitinin C suspended in Tween 80 at 1, 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg showed 37.7, 70.1, 100, and 100% gastroprotection, respectively. The effect elicited by tagitinin C (30 mg/kg) was not attenuated by pretreatment with either N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (70 mg/kg, i.p.), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, N-ethylmaleimide (10 mg/kg, s.c.), a blocker of sulfhydryl groups, or indomethacin (10 mg/kg, s.c.), a blocker of prostaglandin synthesis, which suggests that the gastroprotective mechanism of action of this sesquiterpene lactone does not involve NO, sulfhydryl groups or prostaglandins.

Peperomia pellucida is a plant used in traditional medicine to treat gastric ulcers. Although this gastroprotective activity was reported, the active compounds have not been identified. Therefore, the aim herein was to identify the most active compound in the gastroprotective activity of P. pellucida using an ethanol-induced gastric ulcer experimental rat model. A gastroprotective effect was observed when the hexane and dichloromethane extracts were tested, with the higher effect being obtained with the dichloromethane extract (82.3 ± 5.6%) at 100 mg/kg. Dillapiole was identified as the most active compound in this extract. Although there have been previous reports on dillapiole, this is the first on its gastroprotective activity. Rats treated with this compound at 3, 10, 30 and 100 mg/kg showed 23.1, 56.1, 73.2 and 85.5% gastroprotection, respectively. The effect elicited by dillapiole at 100 mg/kg was not attenuated by pretreatment with indomethacin (10 mg/kg, s.c.), a prostaglandin synthesis blocker, N^G-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (70 mg/kg, i.p.), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, or N-ethylmaleimide (10 mg/kg, s.c.), a blocker of sulfhydryl groups. This suggests that the gastroprotective mechanism of action of dillapiole does not involve prostaglandins, NO or sulfhydryl groups.