Gastroprotective Effects of Betanin Against Ethanol-induced Gastric Ulcer in Rats

Background: Betanin is the principal pigment and active phytochemical constituent of beetroot. The protective roles of betanin are documented in the heart, kidney, liver, and lung, but its potential gastroprotective effect is not assessed thus far. A number of studies demonstrated that betanin could inhibit lipid peroxidation. Objectives: The current study aimed at investigating the gastroprotective effect of betanin in gastric ulcer induced by ethanol. Methods: In the present study, a group of animals were treated with betanin (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, orally) and the other group received ranitidine as a reference antiulcer agent. Onehour later, the gastric mucosal ulceration was induced by oral administration of absolute ethanol and the rats were sacrificed one hour. The gastric ulcers were assessed by macroscopic and histopathological examinations. Also, gastric malondialdehyde (MDA) level and nitric oxide (NO) content were measured. Results: Oral administration of betanin 100 and 200 mg/kg of body weight prior to receiving ethanol significantly attenuated the number and length of gastric ulcers as compared to the ethanol group. Moreover, pretreatment with betanin could significantly decrease stomach MDA level and maintain stomach NO content similar to that of the control group. Histopathological examinations indicated that ethanol-induced gastric ulcer was attenuated by betanin and no significant difference was observed between the betanin (200 mg/kg) and ranitidine groups. Conclusions: The findings indicated that betanin has gastroprotective effects on gastric ulcers, which could be related to attenuated lipid peroxidation and reestablished gastric NO content.