ABSTRACT
Heliotropium indicum of the family Boraginaceae is used locally in Nigeria to treat ailments such as ulcer and fever. In this study, ulceration of the gastric mucosa in Wistar rats was induced via the oral administration of 80mg/kg/bodyweight of Indomethacin. Histological analyses of the stomach body wall in the rats of Groups 2 and 4 (which received 100mg/kg/bodyweight of extract before oral administration of 80mg/kg/bodyweight Indomethacin and 80mg/kg/bodyweight Indomethacin only respectively) showed erosion of the mucus-secreting cells, gastric pit, upper and middle parts of gastric glands and some of the parietal cells. Histological observations of the stomach body wall in rats of Group 5 (which received 200mg/ kg/bodyweight of extract before oral administration of 80mg/kg/bodyweight of Indomethacin) showed erosion of the mucus-secreting cells, gastric pit and the upper most part of the gastric gland. Histological observations of the stomach body wall in rats of Groups 1, 6 and 3 (which received 50mg/kg/bodyweight of Ranitidine and 400mg/kg/bodyweight of extract before oral administration of 80mg/ kg/bodyweight Indomethacin; and only 80mg/kg/bodyweight of Normal Saline respectively) showed normal morphological appearance of the different components of the mucosa layer. Thus, the aqueous extracts of the dried leaves of Heliotropium indicum have dose dependent histo-gastroprotective effects.