GASTROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF MALOTILATE IN INDOMETHACIN-INDUCED AND ETHANOL-INDUCED GASTRIC-MUCOSAL DAMAGE

Malotilate as a synthetic substance shares comparable hepatoprotective properties with various flavonoids. The gastroprotective effect of so me flavonoids prompted us to ascertain the similar effectiveness of ma lotilate. The possible gastroprotectivity was examined in gastric muco sal damage in rats induced by indomethacin (20 mg.kg(-1)) or ethanol ( 96%). Oral pretreatment with malotilate (25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg.k g(-1)) reduced the extent of lesions induced by both indomethacin and ethanol. Histological analyses also revealed a mitigating effect on th e severity of gastric mucosal lesions. Similar results were obtained i n the group of rats pretreated with 5 mg.kg(-1) indomethacin followed by oral administration of 96% ethanol. This finding suggests that the effect of malotilate on rat gastric mucosa is independent of endogenou s prostaglandin production.