CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, ANTI-ULCER AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF CAROB PODS (CERATONIA SILIQUA L.) POLYPHENOLS FROM AIN TEMOUCHENT

This research was aimed to evaluate the chemical composition by HPLC/UV, anti-inflammatory effect in vitro (hyaluronidase assay) and anti-ulcer activity in vivo against gastric ulcer. This anti-ulcer activity was explored in vivo on Wistar rats exposed to a gastric ulcer provoked with oral administration of HCl /ethanol (150 mM /60%) for one day after five days of oral treatment with 250 mg/kg of ethanolic extract of carob pods (EECp), to restore stomach ulceration. Several compounds of carob have been identified by HPLC/UV. This identification reveals the existence of phenolic compounds; flavonoids (chrysin, galangin, pinocembrin, quercetin, genistein, kaempferol, etc.) and phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid, caffeic acids, ferulic acid, etc.). Our extract showed strong inhibitory activity of hyaluronidase with (IC50 = 20.7 mg / ml). The results obtained indicated that administration of HCl /ethanol alone produced stomach ulceration in rats with very extensive and bleeding gastric lesions with 44.09% of percentage lesion and 362.26 mm(2) of lesions area in the stomach mucosa. However, pretreatement of rats with EECp revealed a spectacular inhibition of gastric mucosal damage (7.46%), a significant reduction in malondialdehyde (4.86 nmol/mL) and an increase in enzymes of oxidative status (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase). The present study results can attribute to carob an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer effects.