Antiulcerogenic activity of crude hydroalcoholic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L.

Rosmarinus officinalis L, crude hydroalcoholic (70%) extract was evaluated for antiulcerogenic activity employing different experimental models. The c rude hydroalcoholic extract (CHE) decreased the ulcerative lesion index pro duced by indomethacin, ethanol and reserpine in rats. No antisecretory acti vity was observed on pyloric ligation model. The previous administration of L-NAME, a NO-synthase inhibitor, did not reduce the antiulcerogenic activi ty of CHE in ethanol induced ulcer model, suggesting that the pharmacologic al mechanism has no relationship with nitric oxide (NO). Whereas when the a nimal groups were treated with indomethacin, using the same experimental mo del, CHE did not reduce the antiulcerogenic activity, suggesting that the p harmacological mechanism has no relationship with prostaglandins. The previ ous treatment with N-ethymaleimide, a thiol blocker, including mucosal nonp rotein sulfhydryl groups, reduced the anitulcerogenic activity of CHE on et hanol induced ulcer model. This result suggests that the crude hydroalcohol ic extract of R. officinalis L. has active substances that increase the muc osal nonprotein sulfhydryl groups content. In another hypothesis, the pharm acological mechanism could be attributed to the activity of antioxidant com pounds found in the crude hydroalcoholic extract which can react with N-eth yl-maleimide. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.