Aj. Vanisree et T. Devaki, BIOCHEMICAL-STUDIES EVALUATING THE ANTIULCEROGENIC POTENTIAL OF OCIMUM-SANCTUM IN EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED PEPTIC-ULCERS IN RATS, Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition, 19(2), 1995, pp. 79-87
The effect of pretreatment with Ocimum sanctum, an herbal drug, on HCl
-ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats was investigated with respect
to acid/pepsin, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant status, and glycoprot
eins in the gastric mucosa. The increase in volume and acidity of the
gastric juice and the decrease in peptic activity in HCl-ethanol-expos
ed mucosa were maintained at near normalcy in O. sanctum-pretreated mu
cosa. The increase in lipid peroxidation, decrease in activity of anti
oxidants in the ulcerated rats were maintained at normalcy in the pret
reated rats. Decrease in protein and glycoprotein of the ulcerated muc
osa were found to be maintained to near normal in O. sanctum-treated m
ucosa. These results suggest that by virtue of its ability to decrease
acidity and increase the mucosal defense, the use of O. sanctum as an
antiulcerogenic agent is justified.