Gastroprotective Effects of Curcuma zedoaria in Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcers of Experimental Rats

Gastritis is one of the most common health problems of humans in the world. Gastric ulcer is mostly characterized by inflammation of the epithelial cells lining the gastric mucosa. Stomach injury may occur due to excessive secretion of stomach acid, pepsin, Helicobacter pylori, , stress, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, irregular eating pattern, infection, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This study aimed to explore the gastroprotective effects of Curcuma zedoaria infusion (CZI) on HCl/ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats. A total of 16 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: negative control (without treatment), positive control (treated with omeprazole), P1 (CZI 30%), and P2 (CZI 60%). Several endpoints were evaluated, including gastric mucosal lesions, cellular degeneration, intracellular damage, and pH value. The gastric mucosal injury and ulcer score were determined by evaluating the inflamed gastric mucosa and by histopathological examination. After the treatment animal with CZI significantly (P<0.05) decreased the ulcer index by preventing gastric mucosal lesions, erosion, and cellular degeneration, and the value of pH value was increased (P<0.05). These results demonstrate that CZI has significant gastroprotective properties which support its use in traditional medicine.