Antiulcerogenic Activity of 1-Hydroxy-3,7,8-trimethoxyxanthone Isolated from the Methanol Extract of Anthocleista vogelii PLANCH. in Rats

Anthocleista vogelii (Loganiaceae) PLANCH. is used in Cameroonian ethnomedicine for the treatment of stomach ache and for curing fever and is used as purgative. Further investigations have shown that the stem bark of this plant possesses potent antiulcer properties. We have investigated the cytoprotective and antisecretory actions of 1-hydroxy-3,7,8-trimethoxyxanthone (AV), the xanthone obtained from the methanol extract of the stem bark. Oral administration of AV at the doses of 1, 2, and 5 mg/kg prevented in a dose-dependent manner ulcers induced by HCl/ethanol (60.90 to 93.22%), Indometacin (46.86 to 89.68%), and pylorus ligation (0.00 to 70.69%). AV reduced pylorus-ligated gastric acid secretion from 134.17 mEq/l in the controls to 118.55, 121.50, and 96.93 mEq/l, respectively, for the 1, 2, and 5 mg/kg doses and increased mucus secretion significantly in a dose-dependent manner in all experimental models. The cytoprotective and antisecretory properties of AV could thus be due to its ability to strengthen gastric mucosal defences through enhanced gastric mucus production