Gastroprotective Effects of Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) Against Aspirin-Induced Gastric Ulcers in Rats

Background and Objective: Dragon's blood (DB) is a red colored resin, extracted from Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.). It has terrific medicinal importance due to presence of many phenolic compounds. This study was designed to explore gastroprotective properties of DB in aspirin-induced gastric ulcers. Materials and Methods: In this study 48 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into six groups. Normal and negative groups received water, while the positive group received Omeprazole (20 mg kg(-1)). Remaining low, middle and high dose groups received DB (400, 800 and 1200 mg kg(-1)), respectively as pre-treatment. Exactly after 1 h of pre-treatment, aspirin (250 mg kg(-1)) were administered orally to all the groups except normal group. All drugs were administered continuously for 14 days. On 15th day, rats were sacrificed and their stomachs were collected. pH, acidity of gastric content, ulcer index, Gastric wall mucus (GWM) and other biochemical parameters like Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) Malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein concentration were evaluated. Results: The DB shown a dose-related (63.98-85.18%) protection while Omeprazole showed (81.37%) protection. The DB also increased the pH and decreased the acidity of gastric contents. Gastric levels of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px were significantly (p<0.001) increased while MDA level was decreased. Furthermore, DB also enhanced the PGE2 level and mucus production. Conclusion: From the results of study, it was concluded that DB had sufficient potential to halt gastric ulcers by increasing antioxidant status and PGE2 level to produce mucus.