ABSTRACT
Aims: To evaluate the protective effects of methanol extract of Ceiba pentandra leaves on indomethacin and ethanol induced gastric ulcer and on oxidative stress indices of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Study Design: Extraction and administration of graded doses of the extract Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Enugu State, Nigeria, between May, 2011 and October, 2011. Methodology: Extraction of Ceiba pentandra leaves was done using methanol. Twenty adult rats divided into five groups of four rats each were used for each of the ulcer studies. Gastric ulceration was induced in the rats by oral administration of indomethacin (50 mg/kg) and 95% ethanol (0.5 ml) thirty minutes after extract treatment, and the animals sacrificed 8 h later. For the diabetes study, thirty (30) albino rats divided into six (6) groups of five (5) rats each were used. Diabetes was induced by i.p injection of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg) in overnight-fasted animals and the animals treated with varied doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) of the extract for two weeks. Serum obtained from the diabetic rats was used for the determination of lipid profile and liver marker enzymes. Results: Significant and dose dependent ulcer inhibition (70, 82 and 84 %; 19, 53, and 58 % for 100, 200 and 400mg/kg of the extract respectively) was produced in all the extracttreated groups for the ulcer models used. There were significant decreases (p<0.05) in fasting blood glucose levels, liver marker enzymes, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein and triacylglycerides in the serum of extract-treated groups compared with that of the diabetes-untreated group. Conclusion: The findings in this study show that methanol extract of Ceiba pentandra leaves possesses potent anti-ulcerogenic and anti-oxidative properties and has potential for use as an herbal remedy for the treatment of gastro-intestinal ulcer and management of diabetes.